CUE A CHANGE
Former world champion Luca Brecel reveals ‘snooker is the side quest’ as he says ‘this is the lifestyle I need’
Brecel has revealed "his whole life is built around" achieving his new goal
LUCA BRECEL wants to complete an Ironman triathlon race – and reckons doing so would be a bigger thrill than being world snooker champion.
The Belgian Bullet, 29, has struggled to replicate the exhilarating form that saw him become the Crucible King in incredible comeback fashion in May 2023.
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Over the past year-and-a-half, he has spent a large portion of his £500,000 Crucible winnings, buying flash cars and travelling to glamorous holiday destinations with his partner.
Yet Brecel, who has seen his weight yoyo up-and-down, now revealed he is keen to take part in one of the toughest things in sport – a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run.
The world No.6 said: “My big goal in my head is an Ironman in 2028 or maybe 2029. That’s the main focus.
“To complete it would give me much more of a buzz than winning the World Championship.
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“No disrespect to winning at the Crucible because that was amazing as well.
“Just to complete it would feel like a win for me. I would love to do it in Hawaii but I don’t mind where it is.
“I need four to five years to be really sharp for that and my whole life is built around that now. Snooker is the side quest.
“It’s my goal and I will definitely make it one day. I have always loved running. I used to be a good runner so now I need to build it up again. It’s really tough.
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Inside Luca Brecel's mad year since winning £500k
By Rob Maul
IF YOU became a world champion of your sport and pocketed £500,000 prize money, how exactly would you celebrate?
Maybe buy a nice car. Treat the missus. Go on a lavish holiday perhaps.
Well, Luca Brecel has done all of that and more – put simply, he’s had the time of his life over these past 12 months.
The Belgian Bullet was crowned King of Sheffield in May 2023 in remarkable fashion, despite no practice and having never won a match at the venue on previous visits.
Brecel immediately splash £250,000, half of his World Champs earnings, on a stunning red Ferrari 488 – which he admits he NEVER drives.
He has since lived the high life, exploring the globe with his girlfriend Laura, piling on the pounds with some fine dining and hangout out with an Arsenal star.
He even lost his Crucible-winning cue.
Find out more about Brecel’s incredible year…
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“Then my best friend got me into cycling, I have been doing a lot of time on the bike.
“I want to get good at those first and then perhaps in two years I will start the swimming training.
'What a way to lose a match!' - Luca Brecel sneaks into second round after 'cruel' foul by British Open snooker rival
“I needed to lose weight – I have lost 11 kilos now and I need to lose more, maybe 10 to 15 more. It would be good to be the first Ironman snooker player.”
Brecel beat China’s He Guoqiang 4-3 in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast on Sunday even though he had flown straight from a holiday in Majorca.
Despite being ranked 60th on the provisional end-of-season list – a dangerous position if he wants to keep his Tour Card for next season – he had not picked up a cue for THREE WEEKS.
Yet he returned to the Spanish island and will commute from there for the rest of the tournament, with his next assignment being a last-32 clash with No.27 seed Pang Junxu.
He said: “People might say ‘he could have won more’ but for me it’s not about winning more, it’s about enjoying it.
“I do enjoy this game, I love it every time I come to the table. That is the way I want to keep this. But this is the lifestyle I need to have to enjoy it.
“For me, this is perfect. This is what I have done for my whole career. I like being able to switch off from snooker when I’m not playing and then switch back on for matches.”
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