Zhao Xintong became the first-ever Asian player to win the World Snooker Championship with his victory over Mark Williams last week. He’s one of several Chinese stars poised to dominate the sport over the next decade, with a single mastermind being credited to the nation’s improved performances on the world stage.

Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship with a victory over Welshman and three-times winner Mark Williams at the Crucible Theatre on Monday, the latest chapter in Zhao’s remarkable rise and fall story.

With “The Cyclone’s” victory demonstrating China's growing power in the sport, chair of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) Jason Ferguson insists that snooker’s inclusion in the Olympic programme is now realistic.