Austism Awarness Month: A Sweet Win For the New World Pinball Champion

27-year-old Robert Gagno has been playing pinball since he was a child. At the age of three he was diagnosed with autism, but that hasn't stopped him from being crowned the best pinball player in the world. 

I've watched Robert play many times in person and I can tell you first hand that his skills at pinball are nothing short of amazing. What Robert can do with shot accuracy, timing, and an ability to almost know exactly where a ball is headed on the playfield is a skill that pinball players spend all their lives trying to master.

A native of Burnaby, British Columbia, he travels all over North America to compete in professional pinball tournaments and his many wins have placed him among the top 10 players in the world.

On April 10, Robert made the finals of the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association's World Championships just outside of Pittsburgh. He beat some of the best players in the world, including six time champion Keith Elwin, to take home this monster trophy as the world champion.

Yes that's posted on the Barenaked Ladies Instagram account. Eb Robertson of BNL is a pinball fanatic and he was at the finals to compete and help with the play-by-play of the finals on Twitch.

A documentary about Robert has been in the works for the past few years called Wizard Mode that tells Robert's story of living with autism and how it has both helped him and challenged him to become a top ranked pinball player. It's set to be screened in the coming weeks but now Robert just wrote a new ending. Time to let the cameras roll on the new world pinball champion Robert Gagno.

Watch the trailer for Wizard Mode to learn more about Robert and follow the link below to watch Robert play his final ball in the finals and win the PAPA World Championship.