Zhao Xintong beat Mark Williams to clinch his first world snooker title.
Victoria Shi (left) posed with Zhao Xintong and his trophy on Monday
Zhao Xintong has been threatened with a 'telling off' by his manager if he splurges his World Snooker Championship winnings too quickly. The 28-year-old became £500,000 richer by defeating Mark Williams at the Crucible, and there is a lot more cash heading his way after becoming an overnight superstar in China.
Zhao, having been crowned the first Asian world champion in snooker history, is poised to rake in lucrative endorsement deals in his homeland. An estimated 150 million Chinese viewers tuned in to watch him outclass three-time Crucible victor Williams. And his comfortable 18-12 victory over the Welshman came after a 17-7 thrashing of Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals.
Victoria Shi, who manages Zhao and runs the Sheffield academy he has trained at for almost a decade, posed for pictures with the Xi'an cueist and his new trophy on Monday evening.
And while she allowed herself to revel in the moment, Shi is intent on making sure Zhao remains on the straight and narrow.
"Let him enjoy [the prize money]," she said. "But if he enjoys it too much, I will tell him off. He is the first Asian world champion and that is huge. But it is my job to make sure he stays grounded."
Zhao Xintong is the first Asian player to win the World Snooker Championship
Zhao won the hearts of many snooker fans during his run to victory at the Crucible. But his maiden world title triumph was not without a tinge of controversy, as he served a 20-month ban from January 2023 following a match-fixing investigation.
The former world No. 6 pleaded guilty to betting on matches and being aware that another player was throwing games for money, even though he did not throw them himself.
Zhao was forced to work his way back through the Q Tour, and he officially entered this year's World Snooker Championship as an amateur. Shi believes that the bruising ordeal has strengthened his character.
"I told him, you didn’t kill anyone, you didn’t lose your arms and legs," she explained. "You made the biggest mistake of your life, now learn from it and you will become a stronger person. I think he is stronger because of it."
Zhao is in prime position to continue making waves at big tournaments, having shot into the top 16 of the world rankings off the back of his mega payday.
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