TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — WFLA’s Eric Stone represented the state of Florida this past weekend after winning the IFPA17 World Pinball Championship in Fort Myers.

The Championship brought 64 of the top pinball players from 14 different countries to compete for the title. Some of the countries included Denmark, Austria, and even Australia.

Stone said he competed with the other 63 players in eights rounds of four-player pinball games. After passing through this part of the competition, Stone then competed among the top 32 players to be the first one to win four out of seven games.

Stone brought the trophy home Sunday, making him the world champion of pinball machine players.

“This one is extra special because I won it right here in my home in Florida,” Stone said.

The WFLA meteorologist said he has played pinball competitively for six and a half years, although he has played since he was four years old. Stone previously won the Open World Championship, which allows any participants to join, in January 2020 when it was held in California.

This past weekend was the first time the IFPA World Championship had been held since 2019. It had been stalled for two years when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.