Luca Brecel is in training for a new sport (Image: Getty)
It’s fair to say to Ironman is not a well-trodden path when it comes to sporting switches. But in the whacky world of it should come as no surprise.
Eighteen months on from his thrilling World Championship triumph, the Bullet is looking beyond snooker. Having scaled the sport’s summit at the Crucible, he is hurtling down the other side of the mountain quicker than an Olympic downhill skier.
Brecel has barely made a mark at a tournament since, to such an extent he could even drop off the tour at the end of the season and have to resort to Q-School. Ahead of his UK Championship first round clash against Jak Jones today (Monday), he is just inside the top 64 cut-off point.
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That would be an unthinkable prospect to any other player but the laidback Belgian is unfazed, insisting he would relish the challenge of trying to regain his place. And if he didn’t, it seems he wouldn’t lose any sleep whatsoever.
Brecel has other irons in the fire, specifically the world of Ironman triathlons, which comprise a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile cycle ride and 26.2-mile run. He intends to be Ironman-ready for 2028 and insists merely competing in one would top winning the World Championship.
“My big goal is Ironman in 2028,” he said at October’s Northern Irish Open in Belfast, where in true Brecel-style he flew in and out of from a holiday on Majorca. “That’s the main focus. To complete it would give me much more of a buzz than winning the World Championship.
“No disrespect to winning at the Crucible because that was amazing as well. Just to complete it would feel like a win. I would love to do it in Hawaii, but I don’t mind where it is.
Luca Brecel has failed to recapture the form which saw him win the 2023 World Snooker Championship (Image: Getty)
“I need four to five years to be sharp for it and my whole life is built around that now. It’s my goal and I will definitely make it one day.”
Brecel says he has been inspired by another snooker player, Ian Burns, who has taken part in Ironman triathlons. He added: “Ian Burns did it recently, not the full one, but he inspired me. I have always loved running, I used to be a good runner so now I need to build it up again.
“Then my best friend got me into cycling, I have been doing a lot of time on the bike. I want to get good at those first and then perhaps in two years I will start the swimming training.
An Ironman triathlon involves a swim, bike ride and run (Image: Getty)
“I needed to lose weight – I have lost 11 kilos so far and I need to lose ten to 15 more. It would be good to be the first Ironman snooker player.”
Amid holidays, parties and now his fitness regime, Brecel will sometimes go weeks without picking up a cue. Explaining his laissez-faire approach to the game, he said: “People might say ‘he could have won more’ but for me it’s not about winning more, it’s about enjoying it.
“I do enjoy this game, I love it every time I come to the table. But this is the lifestyle I need to have to enjoy it. For me it’s perfect, what’s what I have done for my whole career. I like being able to switch off from snooker when I’m not playing and then switch back on for matches.”