Wu Yize emotional World Snooker Championship speech leaves family in tears
Wu Yize is the second-youngest player in history to win the World Snooker Championship
Wu Yize was compelled to pause during his victory address as he honoured his parents after securing the World Snooker Championship crown. When BBC host Hazel Irvine asked him to speak about his mother and father, who backed his decision to relocate to a one-bedroom Sheffield flat to chase his dreams in the sport, Wu required a brief moment to compose himself.
The 22-year-old becomes the sport's second-youngest champion ever, trailing only Stephen Hendry, and marks the second successive Chinese victor after Zhao Xintong's triumph last year. He overcame Shaun Murphy in a nail-biting 18-17 deciding frame, maintaining his nerve to clinch the title.
Following an extended pause, Wu addressed his parents: "My parents are the true champions."
At that point, his mother could be seen dabbing away tears, as the newly-crowned champion continued: "Since I made the decision to drop out of school, my dad has been by my side.
"My mum has also gone through a lot over the years, they are the source of my strength. I love them so much.", reports the Mirror.
Speaking about his growing fanbase, who had repeatedly chanted "Wuuuu!" during his matches, the player admitted he initially misinterpreted their intentions.
He explained: "At the beginning I had a misunderstanding, I thought people were booing me. But the staff told me they were cheering me on and I can't thank you all enough. No matter who you support, I think the love of snooker is mutual." When asked by Irvine about his post-match celebrations, Wu admitted he was simply looking forward to a "good sleep".
Wu continued: "Since the first session I was feeling nerves all the time. So right now I just want to go to bed. I have been trying to go for the strength for ages. For the past month I have been leading the same life, I am so happy I could get this done today."
Murphy, chasing his second world title following his 2005 victory, was equally gracious in his runner-up speech, paying warm tribute to the new champion. "I'd like to be the first to congratulate Wu Yize and his family," the Magician said.
"And everyone around him for being a wonderful world champion. I hate being right, I said sometime earlier in the season, we had a great game out in China somewhere, and I managed to win that one.
"I came out afterwards and said that he would be world champion one day, it's just a real shame that it was today, but I couldn't have given it anymore, I couldn't have tried harder. I played the best shots I could have played and I didn't get my chance. I couldn't do any more than that."
