Growing up in an eight-table pool hall which their father owned in Taiwan's Yilan county, it is no surprise that Ko Ping-yi, the eldest of three brothers, declared one day as a 12-year-old: "I want to learn to play pool."
But nobody could have guessed that kiddy enthusiasm would lead to a pool empire as Ping-yi and Ping-chung would become world champions, while Ping-han is an Asian junior champion.
Ping-yi recounted how his father Chih-ming once kitted him out in suit and tie as they drove around the island looking for a coach.
The 34-year-old, in Singapore to defend his title at the ongoing TE Capital APP 9-Ball tournament, said: "I thought it strange that I had to be so formally attired then, but I think my dad just wanted people to take us seriously."
The out-of-the-box methods continued. To hone his focus, Chihming would take him to stare down the unblinking honour guards at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei.
Ping-yi said: "After hours, he would pull down the shutters at his pool hall and put the music on at full blast while we played, or turn off the air-conditioning during summer. It made me very frustrated, and I couldn't stand it.
Denne historien er fra December 02, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra December 02, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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