The place had been you on April twenty first, 1997? Ronnie O’Sullivan was creating sporting historical past on the Crucible Theatre.
O’Sullivan was simply 21 years previous when he grew to become the fourth participant within the historical past of the World Snooker Championship to compile a 147 break.
Solely Cliff Thorburn, Jimmy White, and Stephen Hendry had recorded the feat in Sheffield previous to that.
In these days, it was much more particular when a 147 break was compiled due to its rarity.
But, it wasn’t a lot the achievement of Ronnie O’Sullivan making a most that caught everybody’s creativeness.
Certainly, it was the type and charisma that the Rocket exuded as he proceeded to pot the balls at a lightning velocity that can possible by no means be matched, not less than not on such an essential stage.
Such was the extent of shock and awe that O’Sullivan induced into folks’s psyche, the precise official time for the break was generally misquoted within the following years.
5 minutes and 20 seconds was all the time claimed to be the length on the stopwatch, however an examination a number of years in the past led to the report being altered.
Now ratified by Guinness World Information and accredited by the World Snooker Tour, O’Sullivan’s quickest 147, starting from when he first strikes the cue ball, is definitely 12 seconds faster at 5 minutes and eight seconds.
O’Sullivan wrote himself into the historical past books, and whereas he has constructed the right break on 14 extra events since, none will ever evaluate to that first knock.
“Clearly, you do not forget that 147,” Ronnie O’Sullivan advised Eurosport in 2020.
“I used to be younger. It was a large payday for me on the time. I wasn’t used to seeing pay cheques like that, you realize?”
“That was clearly fairly a memorable second. However then I take into consideration shedding to Darren Morgan (within the subsequent spherical).
“As a result of clearly you simply wish to win the world title. Each participant’s dream is to win the world title.”
O’Sullivan, who pocketed £165,000 in complete for making the utmost break in 1997, has gone on to triumph on the Crucible a record-equalling seven instances.
However these jiffy of magic towards Mick Worth within the first spherical that 12 months will proceed to reside lengthy within the reminiscence for numerous followers around the globe.
One of many extra unimaginable facets about it was the truth that O’Sullivan was not often out of place and hardly seemed like a man who was speeding across the desk at a frantic tempo.
It was a type of uncommon items that sport can present, a timeless feat to savour time and again.
In the event you’ve by no means seen it, you’re in for a deal with. Even when you’ve got, it’d be impolite to neglect your self from watching it another time.
2024 World Snooker Championship Draw
Click on right here for reside scores and session instances.
Spherical 1 (bo19)
Luca Brecel (1) 9-10 David Gilbert
Robert Milkins (16) vs Pang Junxu
Ali Carter (9) vs Stephen Maguire
Shaun Murphy (8) vs Lyu Haotian
Mark Selby (5) vs Joe O’Connor
Kyren Wilson (12) vs Dominic Dale
John Higgins (13) vs Jamie Jones
Mark Allen (4) vs Robbie Williams
Judd Trump (3) 10-5 Hossein Vafaei
Tom Ford (14) 10-6 Ricky Walden
Zhang Anda (11) 4-10 Jak Jones
Mark Williams (6) vs Si Jiahui
Ding Junhui (7) vs Jack Lisowski
Gary Wilson (10) vs Stuart Bingham
Barry Hawkins (15) vs Ryan Day
Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) vs Jackson Web page
Spherical 2 (bo25)
David Gilbert vs Milkins/Pang
Carter/Maguire vs Murphy/Lyu
Selby/O’Connor vs Okay. Wilson/Dale
Higgins/Jamie Jones vs Allen/R. Williams
Judd Trump vs Tom Ford
Jak Jones vs M. Williams/Si
Ding/Lisowski vs G. Wilson/Bingham
Hawkins/Day vs O’Sullivan/Web page
Quarter-Finals (bo25)
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
Semi-Finals (bo33)
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
Remaining (bo35)
TBC vs TBC
