Lim Kok Leong

Lim Kok Leong
Born (1995-05-18) 18 May 1995 (age 29)
Sport countryMalaysia
Professional2024–present
Highest ranking108 (July 2024)
Current ranking 121 (as of 16 December 2024)
Best ranking finishLast 64 (2024 British Open)
Medal record
Men's Snooker
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2019 Manila Doubles
Gold medal – first place 2021 Hanoi 6-red singles
Silver medal – second place 2021 Hanoi Individual
Silver medal – second place 2023 Phnom Penh Doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Phnom Penh Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Phnom Penh 6-red doubles

Lim Kok Leong (Chinese: 林谷良[1]) is a Malaysian professional snooker player. He won the 2022 IBSF World Snooker Championship, and will compete as a professional on the World Snooker Tour as of the 2024-25 snooker season.

Career

Snooker

In May 2022 he was runner-up to James Wattana at the delayed 2021 Southeast Asian Games snooker tournament.[2] His run to the final included a 4-0 semi-final win against Passakorn Suwanawat. He also won the Men's snooker 6-red singles at the same event.[3] That win was reported to be on his 27th birthday, on 18 May 2022, and included a 5-3 win the final against Jeffrey Roda of the Philippines.[4]

In November 2022 he beat Amir Sarkhosh of Iran 5-0 in the final of the IBSF World Snooker Championship player in Antalya, Turkey. His run to the final included a 4-0 win over Eden Sharav.[5] He became the first Malaysian snooker player to win the amateur title.[6]

In May 2023 he was a bronze medal winner at the 2023 SEA Games, losing to Sunny Akani at the semi-final stage of the individual competition.[7]

In May 2024, he defeated Liang Xiaolong to reach the final round of the Asian Q School in Bangkok, where he beat former professional Gao Yang 4-3 to secure a two-year card on the main WST Tour.[8] The tour card has only been used twice: these were the qualifying rounds for the 2024 Wuhan Open and the 2024 British Open, from 28th July to 3rd August. Leong lost 1–5 to Dylan Emery in the Wuhan Open qualifiers, but defeated Anthony Hamilton by 4–1 in the British Open qualifiers, and would have played Mark Selby in the main stages of that event, but then withdrew from competing in any other event since. The reasons for the withdrawals are unknown, due to no statement from either the World Snooker Tour or the WPBSA, the governing body.

Doubles

He is a twice winner of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (ISBF) World Team Championships.[9] In 2015 Lim Kok Leong won the partnered with Moh Keen Hoo, in Karachi, Pakistan after a narrow 5-4 win in the final over home team Asjad Iqbal and Shahid Aftab.[10] In 2019 he and Moh Keen Ho won gold at the Southeast Asian Games defeating Philippines’ Alvin Barberro and Jefrey Roda 3-1 in the best-of-5 final.[11] In October 2022 he won the World Team Snooker Championship in Kuala Lumpur, again with Moh Keen Hoo. They beat Thai pair Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn-Jong and Rak Boonrod 4-2 in the final.[12] In May 2023 he was a silver medal winner at the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, losing with Moh Keen Hoo to Cambodian pair Suon Chhay and Men Sophanith in the final.[13]

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament 2024/
25
Ranking[nb 1] [nb 2]
Ranking tournaments
Championship League A
Xi'an Grand Prix WD
Saudi Arabia Masters WD
English Open WD
British Open WD[nb 3]
Wuhan Open LQ
Northern Ireland Open A
International Championship A
UK Championship A
Shoot Out A
Scottish Open
German Masters
Welsh Open
World Open
World Grand Prix
Players Championship
Tour Championship
World Championship
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Held means an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event means an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
  1. ^ It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  2. ^ New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking
  3. ^ Leong competed in the qualifying round for this event, and had progressed to the main stages, but withdrew before playing Mark Selby.

Career finals

Team finals: 3 (2 titles)

Outcome No. Year Championship Team/Partner Opponent(s) in the final Score
Winner 1. 2019 Southeast Asian Games  Malaysia
Moh Keen Hoo
 Philippines
Alvin Barbero
Jefrey Roda
3–1
Winner 2. 2022[14] IBSF Team Snooker Championships  Malaysia 1
Moh Keen Hoo
 Thailand 2
Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn
Jongrak Boonrod
4–2
Runner-up 1. 2023 Southeast Asian Games  Malaysia
Moh Keen Hoo
 Cambodia
Men Sophanith
Suon Chhay
1–3

Pro-am finals: 2 (1 title)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 2021 Southeast Asian Games (six-red) Philippines Jefrey Roda 5–3
Runner-up 1. 2021 Southeast Asian Games Thailand James Wattana 2–4

Amateur finals: 3 (3 title)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 2019 Malaysian Amateur Championship Malaysia Hng Yuan Yew 6–4
Winner 2. 2022 Malaysian Amateur Championship (2) Malaysia Thor Chuan Leong 8–5
Winner 3. 2022 IBSF World Snooker Championship Iran Amir Sarkhosh 5–0
Winner 4. 2024 Malaysian Amateur Championship (3) Malaysia Mohammed Reza Hassan 8–2

References

  1. ^ "男子斯诺克6红球夺魁 林谷良摘大马东运第23金庆生!", cincainews, 18 May 2022, retrieved 15 March 2023
  2. ^ "Kok Leong falls to Thai legend Wattana in final". Bernama.com. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Kok Leong, Wattana battle for gold". nst.com. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Kok Leong gets pot of gold for his birthday". Thestar.com.my. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Lim Kok Leong is the World Snooker Champion for the year 2022". ibsf.info. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Lim Kok Leong wins IBSF World Championship". Snookerhq.com. 12 November 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  7. ^ "SEA GAMES: CHUAN LEONG ENDS M'SIAN CAMPS AGONISING 48-HOUR WAIT FOR GOLD". Bernama.com. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  8. ^ "FINAL FOUR SET FOR ASIA/OCEANIA Q SCHOOL". wst.tv. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Snooker: Keen Hoo-Kok Leong clinch World Team Championship title". Thestar.com. 9 October 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Malaysia, world champions". The Star. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Keen Hoo-Kok Leong stay composed to ward off late Filipino fightback". NST Sports. 7 December 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Malaysian duo win world snooker title". nst.com. 9 October 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Cambodia's golden billiard players beat fancied Malaysia". Khmer Times. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  14. ^ "WORLD Team Snooker Championships Men - Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia 2022".