Against a fearless and fast-playing opponent less than half his age, Taiwanese pool pro Ko Ping-yi admitted he was rattled when he trailed Philippine teenager Albert Manas 3-0 in the TE Capital APP 9-Ball final on Dec 3.
But the years of out-of-the-box training his father put him through during his formative years helped him retrain his focus swiftly as he claimed 13 of the next 16 frames to win 13-6, retain his title and pocket the $15,000 cheque at the Aspire Recreation Centre at HarbourFront Centre.
The 34-year-old, who as a boy was made to stare down the unblinking honour guards at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, and play at his father's pool hall with music on full blast and without air-conditioning in the summer, told The Straits Times: "My game was a mess at first because my opponent plays very fast and I found myself playing at his pace.
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin December 04, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin December 04, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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