Wu Yize has revealed the sacrifices of his hospitalised mother that helped him become World Champion at the Crucible. The 22-year-old Chinese snooker player defeated Shaun Murphy to win the title, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Zhao Xintong, who won the championship a year earlier.
Mother's Health Struggles
Yize's mother, Guo Ping, faced serious health issues while her son was living in Sheffield with his father, Wu Jianguo. Despite being hospitalised, she insisted that Yize and his father remain in the UK, nearly 6,000 miles away, to pursue his snooker dreams. Yize said: "My mum wasn’t in a very good health condition for a long time. During that time, when we were in Sheffield, she had been staying a lot in the hospital, so she’s forever the source of strength to me."
A Crucial Decision
In the second year of his training in the UK, when his ranking was low, his mother told him not to come home. "She sacrificed everything for me. At that time, she told me: Don’t come back home, I can manage everything. It was a very crucial time for me to achieve some good results to keep my professional status. She means everything to me," Yize added.
Tough Beginnings
Yize moved from Lanzhou to Sheffield six years ago with his father. They lived in a small, windowless room and sometimes shared a bed. Despite the difficult conditions, Yize never considered giving up. He said: "I never had a thought about giving up. Obviously at that time, it was a very tough moment in my life. Living in a poor condition like that, I had so much acne, maybe because of the air-conditioned infections. But I think that’s the strength I’ve built over the years. If you really love sport, that’s the path you have to go through and fight through."
Future Plans
Before the final, Yize said he would use part of his £500,000 prize money to buy a house for his parents. After winning, he confirmed: "I will probably buy here in the UK because, as a professional athlete, most of the time I’m training and playing here. After that, it’s going to be future plans."
Celebration and Work Ethic
Yize plans to take a short break before returning to training. He said: "I will give myself a few days off, maybe 10 days or a few more days. After that, I will go back to training because as a professional snooker player, when everything is already in the past, you have to move on and do your best again. I will travel back to China and I will celebrate with my family and friends. And then after that, I will go back to training."
Future of Chinese Snooker
Yize believes more Chinese players will win the World Championship in the future. He said: "I would hope so, because the Chinese players have been making so many improvements. I think more and more Chinese players can win this World Championship. The best is still yet to come for Chinese snooker."
