‘ROCKET’ RONNIE HINTS AT MARATHON CHALLENGE
World champion plans to take up running when the time is right
SNOOKER great Ronnie ‘Rocket’ O’Sullivan could tackle the London Marathon one day, the sport’s biggest drawcard said on Friday on the eve of his opening world championship match.
The 42-year-old six-time world champion will cast an envious eye at the thousands of participants who will line up in today’s London Marathon, an event which clashes with his snooker duties in Sheffield.
“I’ve never really trained for the marathon, although I could run one,” said O’Sullivan, who runs regularly at his local athletics club.
“If I was doing it I’d want to do it in a good time. I’ve never been a marathon runner, more five or six miles, so it’s probably something I’ll do when I finish snooker.
“I’ll definitely do one when the time’s right but the time’s not right at the moment, I’ve got too much going on.”
O’Sullivan can become the first snooker player to earn over £1 million (RM5.45 million) in a season if he reaches the final having already accrued £824,500 and snapping up a record-equalling five ranking titles.
But that hasn’t prevented him from taking aim at world championship organisers and snooker supremo Barry Hearn, with whom he has had several clashes in the past.
The organisers have banned spectators from wearing football shirts at the championships’ historic home of the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield — a decision supported by World Snooker and their chairman
I’ve never been a marathon runner, more five or six miles, so it’s probably something I’ll do when I finish snooker.” RONNIE O’SULLIVAN
Hearn.
“You pay your money, you get your ticket, you should be allowed to wear whatever you want,” said O’Sullivan, who has a tough first round clash with Scotland’s Stephen Maguire, a twotime world semi-finalist.
“It’s quite laughable when you read it really. At darts they seem to be walking about in Superman outfits.”