‘Rocket’ Ronnie hints at marathon challenge

LONDON, April 21, (AFP): 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 Sunday’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 in a season if he reaches the final having already accrued £824,500 ($1.1million, 942,000 euros) 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 Hearn.