Sawt Falasteen - 'Shared dream': China celebrates Zhao's world snooker breakthrough

The 28-year-old Zhao became the first Asian to win the prestigious title with an 18-12 victory over Mark Williams in the final at the Crucible in Sheffield on Monday.

On Chinese social media platform Weibo the hash tag "Zhao Xintong wins world championship" had 120 million views as of Tuesday morning and was among the top-trending stories.

Ding, China's first snooker star and the beaten world finalist in 2016, said Zhao's victory was "the best reward for all the Chinese snooker fans who have long supported the sport and waited for this day".

"The darkness we once walked through -- it was all so that people could see the light," he wrote on the X-like Weibo.

"Today Zhao Xintong did it! What he won is the shared dream of generations of Chinese snooker players.

"I'm happy for you and proud of the rise of Chinese strength!"

Left-hander Zhao was playing at the Crucible as an amateur, having lost his tour card in January 2023 for his part in a match-fixing scandal.

That controversy threatened to derail Zhao's promising career when he was hit with a 20-month ban.

Zhao accepted charges of being a party to another player fixing two matches and betting on matches himself in a controversy that led to 10 Chinese players being punished, two for life.

The scandal continued to weigh on some Chinese sports fans on Tuesday, but for the most part, social media users celebrated a source of national pride.

- Years of dedication -

"He deserves forgiveness," one person wrote.

A beaming Zhao accepted the trophy with the Chinese flag draped over his shoulders.

"This isn't a miracle but the inevitable result of years of quiet dedication," another Weibo user said.

Others expressed hopes that Zhao's win would mark a watershed moment for Chinese snooker.

"How many years have we waited? He has made history!" another user said.

Like many of China's top players, Zhao has based himself in the northern English city of Sheffield, the unofficial home of snooker.

Si Jiahui, who reached the semi-finals of the 2023 world championship and also practises in Sheffield, congratulated "Brother Tong".

"I'm learning from you! My idol has changed!" he wrote on Weibo.

Lei Peifan, who stunned defending champion Kyren Wilson in the first round at the Crucible, wrote that Zhao had set "a new milestone in Chinese snooker".

He added: "Go Team China."

Snooker's popularity in China has surged over the past two decades, fuelled by the success of Ding, who served as an inspiration to Zhao and many other budding Chinese snooker players.

A record 10 Chinese were among the final 32 players competing at the Crucible, reflecting just how prominent the country now is in the sport.

China has also enjoyed considerable success in women's snooker, with Bai Yulu and Hong Kong's Ng On-yee both winning the women's world crown.

In popular culture snooker has featured in Chinese dramas including "Amidst a Snowstorm of Love", which follows a former snooker prodigy who returns to the sport after a career setback and falls in love with another player.

The television series gained widespread popularity in China upon its release in 2024.

R.Shaban--SF-PST