Famous scene

　　On May 4, local time, after defeating England's Shaun Murphy, China's Wu Yize won the 2026 World Snooker Championships in Sheffield, England, becoming the first post-00s player in history to win the World Championships, writing a new chapter in snooker.

　　On May 4, local time, at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, at the final of the 2026 World Snooker Championships, 22-year-old Chinese player Wu Yize narrowly defeated England's Shaun Murphy 18:17, becoming the first post-00s champion in the history of the World Snooker Championships, and also became the second youngest champion in the history of Crucible at the age of 22 years, 6 months and 20 days.

　　"I have experienced almost everything that can happen in the sport of snooker in this competition, and I will always remember these experiences." Wearing the national flag and looking back on the journey of winning the cup at the 2026 World Snooker Championships, Wu Yize's tone is still incredulous.

　　This is Wu Yize's first triple major championship and second ranking tournament championship, and he also became the second Chinese player to win the World Championship after Zhao Xintong. As a result, his world ranking rose to fourth.

　　After the game, Wu Yize enjoyed the applause and cheers of the audience with his parents. "They are the real champions." Wu Yize said emotionally, "My father has always been with me, and my mother has experienced a lot of things over the years, and they are my eternal spiritual strength." ”

　　Born in Lanzhou, Gansu Province in 2003, Wu Yize began to play billiards at the age of 7 and quickly showed talent. At the age of 14, he won the IBSF (International Billy and Snooker Federation) World Youth Championship U21 (under 21 years old) category. At the age of 16, he went to the UK to pursue his professional dreams with his father. Not to mention the hardships of chasing dreams in a foreign country, his father became his most solid backing.

　　In 2021, Wu Yize officially embarked on the career road and walked steadily step by step. In his first professional season, he reached the round of 32 three times and won the World Snooker Tour Rookie of the Year award. In 2023, he reached the semifinals of the ranking tournament for the first time; In 2024, he reached the final of the ranking tournament for the first time. In 2025, he defeated Scotland's Higgins in the final of the International Championship to win his first individual ranking championship.

　　To reach the top of this World Championships, Wu Yize relies not only on technology and talent. As he said after the semi-finals: "At Crucible, technology is the foundation, mentality and willpower are more important. ”

　　Looking back on his breakthrough at the World Championships, every step is a great test of willpower. The victory over compatriot Lei Peifan in the first game was Wu Yize's first victory at the Crucible Theater. In the second round, Wu Yize narrowly defeated England's Selby 13:11, ending a six-game losing streak against Selby. In the semi-finals against Northern Ireland's Mark Allen, Wu Yize was forced to a desperate situation of falling behind 14:16. Mark Allen had two match points but missed the winning black ball. In a stunned state, Wu Yize put aside his distracting thoughts, scored a black ball, pulled himself back from the "edge of the cliff", and finally won 17:16.

　　In the final, facing Murphy, who had defeated three Chinese players at the World Championships, Wu Yize fell into a hard battle. Wu Yize took the lead in the match point 17-16, but made a mistake when hitting the black ball, allowing Murphy to equalize. In the tiebreaker, Wu Yize decisively chose to hit a difficult red ball when the score was behind, and finally won the game with a shot of 85 points. Murphy said after the game: "I don't feel like I lost the final, it was he who won the final, and the red ball that went into the middle pocket showed his great courage. ”

　　"As an athlete, I fight for myself, for my family, and more importantly, for my country." Wu Yize said after the game about the key to victory, "It's a belief. I've always aspired to win the World Championships, and I'm willing to give everything for it. "The teenager who once traveled far away with his father has now stood at the top of world snooker.

　　As the Chinese Billiards Association wrote in its congratulatory letter, "Your victory will further enhance the competitiveness and influence of Chinese snooker in the international arena, greatly stimulate the pride of the Chinese people, and will also inspire more young people to devote themselves to billiards." ”

　　This season, Chinese snooker ushered in a collective outbreak. At the World Grand Prix, the semifinals of the ranking tournament were swept by Chinese players for the first time; Xiao Guodong, Wu Yize and Zhao Xintong won 7 championships; Among the top 16 players in the world, Chinese players occupy 5 seats; There are 11 Chinese players in the 32 main draw seats at the World Championships......

　　In the second round of the game, Ding Junhui and Zhao Xintong faced each other head-on, Wu Yize also appeared at the same time, and the post-80s, post-90s and post-00s representatives of Chinese snooker exchanged pleasantries in the player channel and staged a warm picture. After Wu Yize won the championship, Ding Junhui and Zhao Xintong both sent their blessings as soon as possible.

　　At the award ceremony, when asked how to celebrate, Wu Yize said with a smile that he just wanted to get a good night's sleep, "I have been anxious since the second stage." But this anxiety did not break him. In Crucible, he has proven that what really determines the outcome is whether a person dares to hit that shot when he is standing on the "edge of a cliff".