World champion Wilson wants 'legacy' after 'Rocky Balboa story'

Kyren Wilson compared himself to Rocky Balboa and said he wanted to “build a legacy” in snooker after claiming his first world title.

The Englishman, 32, defeated Welsh qualifier Jak Jones 18-14 as the World Championship final in Sheffield concluded on Monday.

It was his sixth victory in a ranking event and his first in one of the sport’s Triple Crown tournaments - the Masters and UK Championship being the other two.

“I can be a multiple world champion now but that first one has to be the hardest to get off your back,” said Wilson, who had been beaten in the finals of both the 2018 Masters and 2020 World Championship.

“You hunt for your first Triple Crown event and there’s no better one to land as your first than the World Championship.

“I can build a legacy in this sport and that’s something I would like to have a good crack at now.

"I’ll always be remembered as a world champion and I believe it can lead to bigger and better things.”

It is Wilson's first ranking tournament win since the 2022 European Masters and sees him climb to third in the world rankings.

His triumph comes a year on from a 13-2 humbling at the hands of four-time world champion John Higgins - who he comfortably advanced past in the quarter-finals this time around - and two years after another second-round exit to Stuart Bingham.

However, he has remodelled his game and his self-belief has never wavered despite difficult times in his formative years when he qualified for and dropped off the professional tour.

“It’s like a Rocky Balboa story,” he said as he drew comparisons with the fictional American boxer who came through adversity before triumphing in the sport.

“I’ve had to dig in and go back to the grotty gym and find myself again. I remember two years I couldn’t get through Q School. Sophie looked at me and said ‘If you don’t do it this year we’ll have to look at alternatives’."

More recently Wilson has had to contend with challenging family issues away from the table.

His wife Sophie had a stroke and has been diagnosed with epilepsy, while his younger son Bailey has suffered with illness and had to have an operation after an accident at school.

There was an understandable outpouring of joy on Monday evening as Wilson celebrated fulfilling his boyhood dream.

His dad, in particular, has been credited for nurturing his talent from a young age by taking him to practice pool on school nights.

“My dad said ‘I can see the talent there, I believe there is something there’," added Wilson.

"My mum and dad actually bought a derelict house that hadn’t been lived in in 40 years because it had the potential to build a snooker room at the back.

“They bought that and kept remortgaging. They have made a lot of sacrifices but they have always believed in me and always backed me. I’ve sacrificed my life for this moment.

“There are plenty of holes in walls, plenty of doors that have been battered. There are a lot of things that have been broken in frustration. It’s just because I leave it all out there. I try so hard with every event I play in.”