Alex emerges at great Pace
A STELLAR showing at the Australian Eight-ball Championships has Tasmanian Alex Pace gearing up to compete against the world’s best next June.
Pace, 19, recently returned home from competing in Albury, NSW, where his top-two finish saw him gain qualification into the Australian team of 27 that will travel to England between June 18-28 next year for the World Eight-ball Championships.
Having already represented Australia as a junior at world championships, Pace believes he has what it takes to match it with the best in the world.
“The international experience will help me handle the pressure, but it will definitely go up a notch because you’re playing against the best players in the world who have years of experience,” Pace said.
After first picking up a cue as a youngster, Pace has thrived in both eight-ball and snooker — competing in national competitions from the age of nine.
He finished as the highest ranked junior Australian at the 2015 eightball world championships as a 16year-old before winning the under-18 Australian snooker championships just weeks later.
“I never dreamt of making a career out of it but it’s just addictive,” he said.
“I love playing under high-pressure environments and always trying to improve.”
With the calendar year for the sport now over, Pace will spend the next few months preparing for the under-21 Oceania Snooker Championships held in New Zealand next February, hopeful a positive result will hold him in good stead come June.