Former pool prodigy Wu Jiaqing pockets richest first prize in cuesports history

Wu defeated compatriot Zheng Xiaohuai 140-82 in the final in Beijing to scoop the jackpot of 10 million Chinese Yuan; this equates to over £1.1 million/$1.4 million, although this is before tax is removed.

Sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiards Association, the tournament was branded by organisers as the 'Pinnacle of World Competition' and played to 'Golden Nine' rules. This cuesport discipline is essentially 9-ball pool played on a small-sized snooker table with a napped cloth.

Unlike traditional 9-ball that you would see at the Mosconi Cup, though, a points system is used to determine the winner of matches, with various amounts awarded for a break-and-run, a table clearance, a frame/rack win, and foul shots from an opponent.

Over 600 players took part in these flagship 18-day Global Finals; shortly before the action began in China's capital city, an announcement was made that the top prize had been doubled by sponsors.

The Chinese Pool and Heyball scenes in the Far East are becoming increasing lucrative with massive jackpots on offer. Only a few weeks ago, seven-times world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan made his major competitive debut at the Huacai World Open where he won a couple of matches before bowing out in the last 32.

However, it is common to see somewhat disproportionate pay-outs elsewhere in such events. At this competition, whilst the winner claimed around £1.1 million, there was a massive drop to approximately £165,000 for the runner-up.

Come the closing stages of these record-breaking Global Finals, it predictably became an exclusively Chinese affair with all the international players eliminated. In the semi-finals, Wu defeated defending champion Chu Bingjie 118-84, meanwhile Zheng saw off last year's runner-up Zhou Long 129-89. Zhou went on to claim the bronze medal, getting the better of Chu 138-77 in the bronze medal match.

In the five-hour title decider, Wu broke free from his opponent after a close start and managed to keep him at an arm’s length to score victory and secure the bumper winner’s purse.

Another chapter in the incredible story of "Little Genius" Wu

This title triumph is another major accolade added to Wu Jiaqing's super-impressive career CV, and the 37-year-old was visibly emotional during his post-match interview in the arena.

Born in Taiwan, Wu dramatically shot to fame in 2005 as a 16-year-old when the won the World 9-Ball Pool Championship.

On home soil in Chinese Taipei, Wu - known back then as Wu Chia-ching - strung together the final five racks from 16-12 behind to deny compatriot Kuo Po-Cheng 17-16 in the final to become the youngest-ever winner of the global crown, a record that still stands today.

Since then, though, Wu's life has been far from straightforward and his pool career has been stop-start, although in the same year as his world 9-ball success, the "Taishan Shentong" (Little Genius from Taishan) also won the world 8-ball pool title.

After taking residency in Singapore - it is understood he primarily moved there to address health issues - Wu was banned by the Taiwanese billiards association and he didn't play competitively on the major stage for a few years.

In 2011, Wu moved to Shenzhen in mainland China to live with his uncle and officially switched allegiances, changing his name to what we know him as today - Wu Jiaqing. Having faced some ridicule over the switch, Wu returned to Taiwan the following year to complete his military conscript, although he was discharged early due to chronic leukaemia.

It wasn't until later in the decade that Wu started winning major accolades again. In 2016 he became the China Open 9-Ball champion - a title he reclaimed three years later - and in 2018 alongside playing partner Liu Haitao he won the World Cup of Pool for China.

In more recent times it appears that Wu has mainly focused his attention on the Chinese Pool scene, perhaps indicated by his impressive and very lucrative glory in Beijing last week.