A leaner Belgian Bullet named Luca Brecel is aiming to replicate his triumph at the Crucible after shocking Ronnie O’Sullivan a year ago on his route to winning his maiden World Snooker Championship. After defeating the Rocket in the quarterfinals of the previous year, he went on to overcome Mark Selby and win his first global title.
After his victory in Sheffield, the 29-year-old had a challenging season, missing out on the World Grand Prix qualifying round and losing badly in the opening round of the Masters. There has been progress in recent weeks; he made it to the World Masters of Snooker final during the Riyadh Season, but O’Sullivan won the £250,000 cash prize.
Brecel talked about how he lost weight while in Saudi Arabia, citing his increased attention to his food and activity. Before the World Championship, he now thinks that “the sky is the limit” because of the outcomes, which are reflected on the snooker table.
Brecel said to the World Snooker Tour, “I just needed to work a bit on my fitness and stuff like that.” “I feel great and shed a little weight. That, I believe, was the kind of adjustment I required to resume playing well. The sky seems to be the limit right now.”
He had the same attitude last month when he acknowledged that his weight loss had made him feel much more at ease when playing. Brecel looks to have taken O’Sullivan’s prior advise about the value of physical training for snooker players to heart.
In fact, I feel terrific off the table as well. I’ve been practicing a lot,” he said to Eurosport earlier this month. “I’ve returned. I’ve been playing and having fun with it every day. Every time I practice, I do enjoy it. All I’m trying to do is get in better shape. I’m on a diet and have dropped a little weight. I’m in such great shape.”
Leave a Reply