Best Buy : Qualifier Wins Nintendo World Championships

Louis JohnsonStaff Writer

Besting 23 opponents in games of the past and present, Thomas 'Ito' Gonda of California won the Nintendo World Championships over the weekend in New York City.

Thomas - a 21-year-old computer science student at San Diego State University - unseated defending champion John 'Numbers' Goldberg during a best-of-three final series of Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch console.

The victory ended his status as a lifelong runner-up, Thomas said.

The Nintendo World Championships, held Oct. 7, featured head-to-head competition on games like Mario Party 2 and Donkey Kong Country Returns. Games were played on the newest systems, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS, as well as on classic onehttps://nwc.nintendo.com/s like NES, Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64.

'We congratulate Thomas Gonda on his victory. Nintendo World Championships 2017 showcases the best competitive spirit and sportsmanship of the Nintendo fan community,' said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America's Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Thomas earned his spot in the tournament by winning the qualifying round in August at the Best Buy store in Torrance, California.

Seven U.S. Best Buy stores, including Torrance, hosted the qualifiers.

Competitors ranged in age, with the youngest being 8. There were two divisions, 13-and-over and 12-and-younger, and the winners competed in Saturday's championships.

Of the 24 championship-round competitors, 16 claimed qualifying victories at Best Buy stores.

Check outNintendo products on BestBuy.com or stop by your localBest Buy store.

Photo courtesy of Nintendo, Business Wire