Those who win the World Snooker Championship receive a prize of £500,000, which one player managed to spend all at once shortly after winning at the Crucible
15:54, 06 May 2025
In 2024, Kyren Wilson pocketed the whopping £500,000 top prize at the World Snooker Championship. He edged out Welshman Jak Jones 18-14 in a nail-biting final that tested his limits.
Rather than splashing out on a flashy motor, Wilson invested his winnings in a holiday home in Portugal, ensuring the family will always have a slice of sunshine and serenity just a plane ride away. But life hasn't always been so sunny for the Wilsons. There was a time when cash was tight, especially during the early days of Wilson's career on the green baize.
He revealed his more humble lifestyle growing up in an interview with The Times last year. He said: "My dad has a fight on his hands every day with multiple sclerosis and that puts snooker into perspective.
"It's nothing compared to what he and my mum have to go through. She's been a loyal servant to Weetabix for 30-odd years on the packaging side of things.
"It's probably not the ideal thing she wanted for her life, but she knew it'd bring stability to our family.
"They re-mortgaged the house so I could go out and fulfil my dream. I spoil my children now, but I remind them it wasn't always like this.
"Everything seems like a bonus because you never had anything. I think that's been a key part of my success. I went in very hungry and humble. That's kept me down to earth and made me appreciate the value of money."
After winning the World Championship, Wilson's winnings shot up to £3million. Between then and now, he has pocketed an additional £981,100 in the 2024/25 season alone.
His current success is worlds apart from his early days as a promising talent when his family had to be creative with their travel budget. Reflecting on those times, Wilson said: "We basically couldn't afford a hotel.
"If the tournament was somewhere where there was no other way but staying overnight, my mum used to bring a little grill so we could make bacon sandwiches in the morning because we couldn't afford the hotel breakfast."
Despite a recent setback with a narrow 10-9 defeat to China's Lei Peifan in the first round of his title defence, Wilson remains focused on what drives him. In the same interview, he revealed what he does whenever he suffers a huge disappointment. He added: "You can get a bit lost out there sometimes.
"You forget the most important reasons, if you like, but that gave me the fire in my belly to give my family a great life. I told Sophie (his wife), 'You bring our son up and I'll try and bring in the earnings,' and I've kicked on ever since then really.'
"It's been tough sometimes. I do feel like a bit of a part-time dad. You're always in a different city, country, airplane. When I close the door I can see it breaks the kids' hearts. I've been begged not to go, but hopefully when they're adults they'll know it was all for this."