Millions of snooker fans in China witnessed history as 28-year-old Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player, as well as the first Asian, to win the World Snooker Championship final.

数以百万计的中国斯诺克迷共同见证了历史——28岁的赵心童成为首位赢得斯诺克世锦赛冠军的中国选手，也是首位获得这一殊荣的亚洲选手。

Zhao, hailed as "a new superstar", triumphed over Welsh player Mark Williams, a three-time champion, to win the trophy in the final in Sheffield, United Kingdom, with an 18-12 victory on Monday.

周一，在英国谢菲尔德举行的决赛中，被誉为“新星”的赵心童以18比12战胜三届世界冠军威尔士选手马克·威廉姆斯，成功捧起奖杯。

Zhao is the youngest world champion since Shaun Murphy, who won in 2005 at the age of 22.

赵心童是继2005年22岁的肖恩·墨菲之后最年轻的世界冠军。

Overwhelmed by his achievement, Zhao, draped in a Chinese flag, said: "I can't believe what I've done. It's like a dream. I was so nervous tonight—Mark is still a top player and put me under so much pressure. He's the best. This is a very special moment for me, for Chinese snooker, for everyone."

赵心童身披五星红旗，激动地表示：“我简直不敢相信自己取得了这样的成就。这就像一场梦。今晚我非常紧张——马克仍然是世界顶尖球员，他给了我很大的压力。他是最棒的。这对我、对中国斯诺克、对每个人来说都是一个非常特别的时刻。”

The victory ignited an outpouring of jubilation across social media, with fans celebrating the long-awaited breakthrough, including one netizen who said, "Chinese snooker has found its worthy successor." Fans also said Zhao's historic achievement will inspire future generations of young Chinese players.

这场胜利在社交媒体上引发了热烈的欢呼，球迷们纷纷庆祝这一期待已久的突破，一位网友写道：“中国斯诺克终于找到了当之无愧的接班人。” 球迷们还表示，赵心童的历史性成就将激励中国未来几代年轻球员。

Zhao's success fulfilled a dream that had eluded his compatriot trailblazer Ding Junhui, who narrowly missed winning the title in 2016. That year, Ding became the first Asian player to reach the World Championship final, but he fell short against Mark Selby from the UK.

赵心童的成功实现了同胞丁俊晖的梦想，后者在2016年与冠军失之交臂。那一年，丁俊晖成为首位打入世锦赛决赛的亚洲选手，但最终不敌英国选手马克·塞尔比。

The sport's popularity in China has grown exponentially over the past two decades, helped by the success of Ding, who served as an inspiration for Zhao.

过去二十年，丁俊晖的成功也推动了斯诺克在中国的普及度呈指数级增长，而丁俊晖也成为赵心童的榜样。

Ding congratulated Zhao on Sina Weibo with a poignant post:

"It brings me such joy to see that the threshold I once struggled to break through has now become a runway for others—and today, someone finally sprinted all the way to the finish line," Ding said.

丁俊晖在新浪微博上发文祝贺赵心童：“看到自己曾经奋力突破的门槛，如今已成为他人的跑道，我感到无比欣慰——今天，终于有人一路冲刺到了终点线。” 丁俊晖说道。

"This glorious moment is the ultimate reward for Chinese snooker fans who've steadfastly supported us and waited for this day," he added. "Zhao's victory isn't just his own—it's the realization of a shared dream that generations of Chinese players have worked toward. I'm thrilled for him, and proud to witness the rise of China's power on this stage."

“这一荣耀时刻，是对一直以来支持我们、期盼这一天的中国斯诺克球迷的终极褒奖。” 他补充道。“赵心童的胜利不仅仅是他自己的，更是一代又一代中国球员共同梦想的实现。我为他感到激动，也为见证中国力量在这个舞台上的崛起而感到自豪。”

Zhao dominated Sunday's first two sessions at 11-6 and improved his advantage to 17-8 after the third session on Monday.

周日，赵心童以11比6的战绩在前两局占据主导地位，并在周一第三局结束后将比分扩大到17比8。

With Zhao just one frame away from making history, the 50-year-old Williams launched a strong comeback, taking four frames in a row at the start of the final session.

就在赵心童距离创造历史仅差一局之际，50岁的威廉姆斯强势反击，在最后一阶段开局连赢四局。

But the three-time world champion couldn't hold off Zhao any further, as the Chinese player wrapped up the contest by winning the 30th frame with a break of 87.

但这位三届世界冠军再也无法阻挡赵心童，这位中国选手在第30局以一杆87分的成绩锁定胜局。

Williams offered high praise for Zhao.

威廉姆斯对赵心童给予了高度评价。

"I'm glad I'll be too old when he's dominating the game," Williams said. "I've got nothing but admiration for what he's done, coming through the qualifiers. ... There's a new superstar of the game."

“我很高兴当他统治比赛时，我已经老了，”威廉姆斯说。“我对他从资格赛中脱颖而出的表现只有钦佩……他是一位新的超级巨星。”

Zhao will start next season at No 11 in the world rankings.

赵心童下赛季的世界排名将位居第11位。

He has joined nine other Chinese players in the world's top 32, with England the only nation with more players ranked in the top echelon.

他已经与其他9位中国球员一起进入世界前32名，仅次于拥有更多高排位选手的英格兰。

triumph

/ˈtraɪʌmf/

v.获胜；战胜

outpouring

/ˈaʊtpɔːrɪŋ/

n.（情感、反应等的）迸发，倾泻

compatriot

/kəmˈpætriət/

n.同胞

trailblazer

/ˈtreɪlˌbleɪzər/

n.先驱者；开拓者

echelon

/ˈeʃəlɑːn/

n.等级，阶层