After collecting £500,000 for winning the 2026 World Snooker Championship, new world champion Wu Yize said he plans to buy a house or apartment in Sheffield following his dramatic 18-17 victory over Shaun Murphy in Monday's final at the Crucible.
The 22-year-old became the second-youngest player to win the world title after edging Murphy in a deciding frame, completing a run through the tournament that included victories over Mark Selby, Lei Peifan, Hossein Vafaei and Mark Allen before the final.
Wu defeated Northern Irish player Mark Allen 17-16 in the semi-finals after another close contest, while his win over Murphy made him only the second Chinese player to lift the world title following Zhao Xintong, who won the championship last year. Zhao's career had previously stalled after he received a 20-month suspension in 2023 for being party to match-fixing and betting offences, although he returned through the amateur Q Tour following the expiry of his ban and reached this year's quarter-finals before losing to Murphy.
Wu reflects on sacrifices made by his family
Speaking to CGTN in an exclusive post-match interview, Wu described the victory as "incredible" and spoke emotionally about the sacrifices made by his parents during his journey from Lanzhou to Sheffield. Wu moved to Sheffield at the age of 16 alongside his father, Wu Jianguo, while his mother Guo Pin remained in China because of ongoing health problems. During his early years in England, Wu and his father lived in a small one-bedroom flat and shared the same bed while he attempted to establish himself professionally.
"There's so much I want to say to them," Wu told CGTN's Li Jianhua. "I'm truly grateful, they've been with me since I was young, supporting me all the way. No matter what happens, they're always there supporting me. I'm really, really thankful to them."
The new world champion also reflected on the difficult living conditions he experienced after arriving in Sheffield. "I never had a thought of giving up," Wu said. "Obviously, that was a very tough period for me. Living in such poor conditions, I had a lot of acne, maybe because of an infection from the air conditioning. But I think it was a strength I have built over the years. If you really love snooker, it is a path you have to go through and fight your way through."
Prize money set to go toward property in Sheffield
Despite receiving £500,000 ($680,000) for his victory at the Crucible, Wu said he has no immediate plans for extravagant spending and instead intends to invest in property in the city where he developed his game. Speaking to BBC Sport after the final, Wu said: "I don't have any plans, I think I will buy a house or an apartment in Sheffield for practice and world championships. I felt tired for one month, fighting every day. I can have a holiday now, go back to China, get some good food and see my friends."
According to Rightmove, the average house price in Sheffield currently sits slightly above £250,000 ($340,000), meaning Wu's tournament winnings would comfortably cover the cost of an average property in the city where his professional career began. His victory also continued the recent rise of Chinese snooker on the sport's biggest stage, with back-to-back Chinese champions now crowned at the Crucible following Zhao's title run last year and Wu's deciding-frame victory over Murphy this week.
