17 World Champion title; starting from 2003 till 2017, Pankaj Advani won almost all that came in his way. He is the winner of maximum number of world titles in any sport by an Indian. As he beat Mike Russell of England in IBSF World Billiards Champion in Doha, he became the proud owner of 17 World Titles in both the long and short formats of snooker (15-red standard, and 6-red) and both formats of English billiards (time and point).
As he lifted the cup, he tweeted, “What. A. Feeling. 17th World in 2017.”
Pankaj Advani was introduced to the sport at the age of 10 by his brother Shree Advani. He won his first ever title at the age of 12 and in 2000 he won his first Indian Junior Billiards Championship title. He defended it in 2001 and 2003. In 2003 he also won the India Junior Snooker Championship which made him the youngest National Snooker champion.
Advani made his international competitive debut at the Asian Billiards Championship 2002. In 2003 when he won IBSF World Snooker Championship, he became the youngest to win it at the age of 18. His 1st World Billiards title came in 2005 in Malta. Advani has a unique feat of achieving a hat-trick of hat-tricks in English billiards, holding the World, Asian, and Indian National Championship titles simultaneously, in 2005, 2008 and 2012. He became a snooker professional only in 2012 and won the 2014 IBSF World 6-Red Snooker Championship. He is the only player ever to win world titles Advani is also India’s first world champion in 6-red snooker.
Pankaj Advani is also the winner of gold medal in 2006 Doha and 2019 Guangzhou Asian Games.
