NATIONAL champion Lim Kok Leong, who secured a gold medal for Malaysia in the six-red snooker singles and a silver medal in the snooker singles during the recent SEA Games in Hanoi, aspires to be a professional player in three years.
The 27-year-old Penangite missed out on the World Snooker Federation (WSF) Championships’ two-year exemption after failing to make the cut in two WSF qualifying events (Asia-Oceania Qualifying School) in Bangkok last month.
He was beaten by Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif, a two-time world amateur champion, in the last 16 of Event One and by Dechawat Poomjaeng of Thailand in the last eight of Event Two at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club.
However, based on his overall creditable performance, Kok Leong has been allowed to take part in the qualifiers of certain WSF tournaments for these two seasons. Previously, three Malaysians – Sam Chong (1990), Moh Keen Hoo (2006) and Rory Thor (2014) – had qualified for the WSF Championships.
This he did remarkably in the sense that he did not graduate from any established snooker academy nor went through any proper coaching in his early days.
Basically, it was due to his passion for the game and the grit and determination to succeed.
“My dream is to become a professional player by the time I am 30. I want to join the snooker elite and I look forward to participating in a world-class professional event in the United Kingdom (UK).
“But I need sponsorships. I need about RM100,000 at least to support my living expenses there,” he said in a recent interview with Buletin Mutiara.
Malaysian Snooker and Billiard Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia said what Kok Leong lacks is exposure to playing big tournaments.
“We want to push him up to become a quality player. Just playing against amateurs won’t do.
“Kok Leong has a lot of potential, but unfortunately during the last two years, he could not go out because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“He is a humble person, with a nice personality. He doesn’t gamble, smoke or drink.
“We intend to send him for more matches and keep him active and consistent. We want him to be ready for the next SEA Games in Cambodia.
“The lack of exposure was clearly seen when he played (James) Wattana in the SEA Games snooker final. He was nervous even after taking the lead and eventually lost 4-2. He could have won 4-2 instead,” Chia said.
According to Chia, MBSF began to notice Kok Leong’s potential in 2014.
Kok Leong, he said, began to win several small tournaments in 2015. Then, MBSF partnered him with Moh Keen Hoo, another Penangite, and they went on to win the World Team Men Snooker Championship in 2015 in Karachi, Pakistan.
The two Penang players continued their fine form to win the 2017 World City Club Championship in China and followed up by capturing the men’s snooker doubles gold medal in the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
Kok Leong and Keen Hoo will again be called into action when Malaysia plays hosts to the World Championships to be held in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 26 to Oct 9, 2022.
There are five events, namely World 6 Reds Men, World 6 Reds Women, World Team Men, World 150 Up English Billiards Championships and World Masters Team.
Kok Leong cut his teeth at a snooker centre located near his father’s mini market in Seberang Perai.
“I was about seven years old and I would go over to the snooker centre to spend a few hours.
“I did not receive proper training until I was 15. I was given some guidance and tips from none other than the snooker great Ooi Chin Kay.
“From then on, I started to participate in a few tournaments before representing the country at the age of 20,” Kok Leong recalled.
For his SEA Games success, he received RM 6,000 from the state government recently as an encouragement for him to achieve more milestones for himself, his state and his country.
He thanked the state for recognising his effort and said he would strive to excel as he looks forward to joining more events.
There are a few great players that Kok Leong admires; Keen Hoo being one of his mentors and Keen Hoo’s late father, the late Moh Loon Hong, an inspirational figure as well.
For snooker players to excel for the country, Kok Leong said tremendous effort must be done to promote the sports.
“In other countries like China and Thailand, children as young as six years old, have started their training routines. They become a world-class player when they reach 20,” he said.
Penang Billiard and Snooker Association (PBSA) president Datuk Michael Tan, who accompanied the rising snooker star during the interview session, urged the Federal Government to recognise snooker as one of the sports for Sukma (Malaysia Games).
“The state government has assisted us a lot and I hope the federal authorities can play their part as well by allocating a fund for snooker.
“It has been tough for the snooker players all this while as they have been training without any assistance or guidance from any professional coaches, but they have proved their worth through the results achieved.
“For instance, you can see for yourself how committed Kok Leong is when he managed to make the country proud through his achievement during the SEA Games in Vietnam.
“We are ready to cooperate with anyone willing to assist us,” said Tan, who was formerly a Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) councillor.
Tan is also keeping his fingers crossed that a snooker academy can be established in the state to cater to the needs of the players.
“This academy will be a platform for them to learn and shine as many of them are paying a certain fee when they train outside,” he added.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Ahmad Adil Muhamad and courtesy of Lim Kok Leong and Melvin Chia