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.”
