Three-time snooker world champion Mark Williams gave his fans quite a scare when he revealed he required oxygen during a match.
The Welshman posted a picture on his Twitter account of him hooked up to a machine supplying him with oxygen, sparking concern.
Williams posted the photo on his X account accompanied by a caption that read: “Oxygen [was] needed at the interval.”
Along with that was an incomprehensible hashtag that appeared to suggest that Williams thought he was going to fall over during the first frame.
The 49-year-old was inundated with messages from concerned fans who wanted to know what was going on.
However, he quickly revealed that he was okay and that the oxygen was a necessity to play.
In one reply, he said: “It’s goodnight Irene.
“I’m fine, I’m not sick atm [at the moment]. It’s ’cause I’m in Tibet, 15,000 [feet] up in the sky.”
Williams is currently playing in the 2025 Tianren Cup Lhasa Winter Plateau Snooker Challenge exhibition event.
This is being held in Lhasa, which is 3,656 metres [11,975 feet] above sea level.
If you compare this with Wales, where the average height of the country above sea level is 99 metres, you can see why oxygen was required.
At the height in Tibet, the air is extremely thin, so it’s no wonder that Williams spent some time hooked up to a machine.
He isn’t the only big-name snooker taking part in this competition, with 2024 UK Championship winner Judd Trump also involved.
Williams will be taking part in the latest edition of The Masters later this month.
The tournament, being held at the Alexandra Palace in London, will start at the weekend.
The Welshman is a two-time champion of this competition, last winning it in 2003.
Williams starts his campaign against China’s Ding Junhui on Monday, January 13 in the afternoon session.
The Masters is a unique tournament because it is only contested between the top 16 players in the world.
Williams is a regular in the tournament and has been for the majority of the time he’s been a professional.
Given that he one of the older players on tour, this is some achievement and shows his longevity in the sport.
Of course, he would love to be crowned the winner again, having lost 10-8 to Trump in the 2023 final.
That was the first time he’d made the last two since he’d won it 20 years before.
But for now, he’s focusing on this exhibition tournament, where he will hope to avoid having to use more oxygen.
