Sporting Life
Scroll down to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan talks about his 147 break
Scroll down to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan talks about his 147 break

Watch Ronnie O'Sullivan talk through his record-breaking 147 break at the Crucible with Alan McManus

By Chris Hammer
Snooker
Thu April 21, 2022 · 4y ago

Ronnie O'Sullivan has provided fascinating insight into what was going through his mind during 'that' mesmerising 147 break at the 1997 World Championship..

It's been a 25 years since a 21-year-old Rocket set arguably the most unbreakable record in sport when making an astonishing maximum in just in five minutes and eight seconds of pure snooker genius.

And in a special anniversary feature on Eurosport, O'Sullivan sat down with Alan McManus to discuss what factors made it possible, his style of play, a ridiculous shot time of eight seconds and how he handled the pressure of playing for a prize of £147,000.

He said: "I remember quite clearly - it feels like yesterday. Today, I would be thinking it was a good chance for a maxi, but then I think I was just on auto-pilot and looking to win the frame."

After admitting he'd been messing around too much with his technique during that part of his career, McManus pointed out that a 20 second walk around the table early on in the frame cost him a chance to go under five minutes.

The Rocket said: "I didn't have the record on my mind at the time!"

O'Sullivan also wanted to give credit to referee Len Ganley, who also played a key role in helping him play so quickly.

He added: "It probably couldn't be done today because the refs do a bit too much walking maybe. What a referee [Len Ganley] - the referees today could learn a thing or two. He just stayed in the same position. It's like a good footballer, he doesn't move around too much. He knows what he is doing and gets the job done.

"That [the speed, 8.5 seconds-a-shot] was ridiculous, really. If I am on 16 seconds-a-shot now I am thinking that is as quick as I would want to be. I don't want to be any quicker than that.

"I was just a different player then. You see my left knee, it was really bent, behind me. I just fell into the shot, there is a bit of movement. It was all off instinct!

"I have always been an instinctive player, but I think I have developed and become a bit more of a robotic player.

"All sorts can go wrong. There was plenty of money on the line there! It was £167,000, and I knew that as well!

"I was petrified and I was in bits! But once I got on the blue I was thinking 'this is it, this is actually on now' and the chalk goes under the table. I thought I had no time to collect that because if I get the chalk I would probably miss.

"The method in the madness was to go as fast as I could and override the thoughts in the brain - and hence why it was such a fast break.

"I was buzzing; it was mental! It was an amazing feeling."

You can click here to watch the full video on Eurosport.co.uk.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF 147 BREAKS IN HISTORY AND THE TOP 10 EVER MADE

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