Pankaj Advani's reputation as one of the greatest champions has been cemented by his extraordinary accomplishments, relentless dedication, and unmatched skill.
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The acclaimed Indian billiards player Pankaj Advani has achieved yet another milestone in his distinguished sports career by earning a spot in the Hall of Fame at the World Billiards Museum located in Shangrao City, China. Advani, age 38, captured his 26th title governed by the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) in November.
In an exciting final, he emerged victorious over his Indian peer, Sourav Kothari, despite Kothari providing tough competition in the initial rounds of the long-format billiards event. Upon his induction,Pankaj Advani expressed profound gratitude, acknowledging the overwhelming love and support that has fueled his journey.
“I am deeply honored to join the Hall of Fame at the World Billiards Museum. The love and support I’ve received throughout this incredible journey have been overwhelming, and I’m extremely grateful for it,” said Advani. Advani’s exceptional talent and steadfast commitment to his sport have entrenched his legacy as one of the greatest in billiards.
“I am grateful to represent our country and the entire billiards community. I’ll continue working hard, dedicate myself to the sport, and do my best to make everyone proud,” he added. His elevation to the Hall of Fame is a tribute to Advani’s relentless drive for perfection and his significant contributions to billiards.
Throughout his career, beginning in 1999, Advani has consistently shown his extraordinary talent, broken records, and accumulated a host of titles. Notably, he was the first billiards player to achieve the Grand Double by winning in both the time and point formats in 2005. Additionally, he won two Asian Games gold medals in 2006 and 2010.
Moreover, he received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting accolade in India, in 2005. Pankaj Advani has made a name for himself as an outstanding player in the world of cue sports, clinching the title of world champion 27 times under the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF).
Out of his numerous titles, he has grabbed 18 in billiards alone, capturing the IBSF World Billiards Championship 17 times and winning the World Team Billiards Championship once. As for snooker, he’s a three-time winner of the IBSF World Snooker Championship, has lifted the IBSF World Six-red Championship trophy twice, and claimed victory in both the IBSF World Team Cup and Championship once each.
His trophy collection sets a record for the most IBSF world championships held by an individual. In the 2012-2013 season, he took his skills professionally. The Indian Government has recognized his remarkable talents, awarding him prestigious honors, including the Arjuna Award in 2004, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2006, the Padma Shri in 2009, and the Padma Bhushan in 2018.
Pankaj Advani honed his snooker skills under the guidance of Arvind Savur, a past national champion in the sport. His talent for snooker was spotted by Arvind Savur when he was just 10 years old, after his older brother, Dr. Shree Advani, who is a well-known Sports Performance Psychologist, introduced him to the game. At the age of 11, Advani won his first title and continued to break records at both the state and national levels.
He claimed the Indian Junior Billiards Championship in 2000 and repeated his victory in 2001 and 2003. His triumphs in 2003 included both the junior and senior snooker titles, making him the youngest champion in national snooker at the age of 17. Advani’s first international match was at the World Billiards Championship in England in 1999.
Following his triumph in the World Snooker Champion title in 2003, he won the World Billiards Championship in 2005 in Qawra, Malta. He made history there as the first player to win in both the timed and points categories, also known as a Grand Double. He has won this Grand Double three more times: in Bangalore in 2008, in England in 2014, and Myanmar in 2018, unique as an Indian to win the world amateur titles in both snooker and billiards.
On his international debut in snooker, he achieved the IBSF World Snooker Championship title in Jiangmen, China, on October 25, 2003, at only 18 years old, becoming the youngest Indian world champion. At the age of 28, he clinched the IBSF World 6-Red World Snooker Championship title in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, and defended it successfully in Karachi, Pakistan in August 2015.
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