The ‘Thunder from Down Under’ has stormed another tournament. This time it was in China where Australian vegan snooker player Neil Robertson took the win.
The 64-player event saw many of Robertson’s top-ranked rivals struggle with traveling and different time scales, while he appeared effortless in continuing his remarkable run of form.
Climbing the rankings
“I’ve made four finals in a row now and that’s the first time anyone has done that since 1990, I think,” Roberston told Great Vegan Athletes.
As a result, he’s climbed the rankings rapidly, currently topping the one-year ranking list. The six matches saw him drop just 16 frames while he won 45, and he won two of his matches 6-0. Clearly, the challenges that affected many were ones he could cope with – although he did have a secret weapon.
“Traveling so much, and on different time zones, sometimes you have to play matches with an hour sleep so coffee can definitely help in that regard,” he revealed. “I do love the odd soy latte!”
Vegan in the East
Robertson said he found it viable to eat vegan in China. “When I go to China I always stock up on cliff bars, bring a few liters of Alpro soy milk, oats porridge and quite a lot of other things from Holland and Barrets like the quinoa and lentil chips they do.
“Eating vegan in China is generally pretty easy in the major cities as there is a huge selection of fruit and vegetables and even now some vegan restaurants have opened up over the last couple of years which I found thanks to the Happy Cow app.”
Next is the World Championship, and Robertson will be a man of interest at the home of snooker in The Crucible, Sheffield. Bookmakers have him among the top three most fancied, and many are believing that this fantastic run of form may enable him to make a repeat of 2010 and take the trophy home.