Lim Kok Leong Explained

Lim Kok Leong
Sport Country:Malaysia
Professional:2024–present
High Ranking:108 (July 2024)

Lim Kok Leong is a Malaysian professional snooker player. He won the 2022 IBSF World Snooker Championship, and will compete as a professional on the World Snooker Tour as of the 2024-25 snooker season.

Career

Snooker

In May 2022 he was runner-up to James Wattana at the delayed 2021 Southeast Asian Games snooker tournament.[1] His run to the final included a 4-0 semi-final win against Passakorn Suwanawat. He also won the Men's snooker 6-red singles at the same event.[2] That win was reported to be on his 27th birthday, on 18 May 2022, and included a 5-3 win the final against Jeffrey Roda of the Philippines.[3]

In November 2022 he beat Amir Sarkhosh of Iran 5-0 in the final of the IBSF World Snooker Championship player in Antalya, Turkey. His run to the final included a 4-0 win over Eden Sharav.[4] He became the first Malaysian snooker player to win the amateur title.[5]

In May 2023 he was a bronze medal winner at the 2023 SEA Games, losing to Sunny Akani at the semi-final stage of the individual competition.[6]

In May 2024, he defeated Liang Xiaolong to reach the final round of the Asian Q School in Bangkok, where he beat former professional Gao Yang 4-3 to secure a two-year card on the main WST Tour.[7]

Doubles

He is a twice winner of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (ISBF) World Team Championships.[8] In 2015 Lim Kok Leong won the partnered with Moh Keen Hoo, in Karachi, Pakistan after a narrow 5-4 win in the final over home team Asjad Iqbal and Shahid Aftab.[9] In 2019 he and Moh Keen Ho won gold at the Southeast Asian Games defeating Philippines’ Alvin Barberro and Jefrey Roda 3-1 in the best-of-5 final.[10] In October 2022 he won the World Team Snooker Championship in Kuala Lumpur, again with Moh Keen Hoo. They beat Thai pair Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn-Jong and Rak Boonrod 4-2 in the final.[11] In May 2023 he was a silver medal winner at the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, losing with Moh Keen Hoo to Cambodian pair Suon Chhay and Men Sophanith in the final.[12]

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament2024/
25
Ranking[13] [14]
Ranking tournaments
Championship LeagueA
Xi'an Grand PrixWD
Saudi Arabia Masters
English Open
British Open
Wuhan OpenLQ
Northern Ireland Open
International Championship
UK Championship
Shoot Out
Scottish Open
German Masters
Welsh Open
World Open
World Grand Prix
Players Championship
Tour Championship
World Championship
Performance Table Legend
LQlost in the qualifying draw
  1. R
lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QFlost in the quarter-finals
SFlost in the semi-finalsFlost in the finalWwon the tournament
DNQdid not qualify for the tournamentAdid not participate in the tournamentWDwithdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Held means an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event means an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.

Career finals

Team finals: 3 (2 titles)

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipTeam/PartnerScore
Winner1.2019Southeast Asian Games
Moh Keen Hoo

Alvin Barbero
Jefrey Roda
3–1
Winner2.2022[15] 1
Moh Keen Hoo
2
Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn
Jongrak Boonrod
4–2
Runner-up1.2023Southeast Asian Games
Moh Keen Hoo

Men Sophanith
Suon Chhay
1–3

Pro-am finals: 2 (1 title)

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore
Winner1.2021Southeast Asian Games (six-red) Jefrey Roda5–3
Runner-up1.2021Southeast Asian Games James Wattana2–4

Amateur finals: 3 (3 title)

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore
Winner1.2019Malaysian Amateur Championship Hng Yuan Yew6–4
Winner2.2022Malaysian Amateur Championship (2) Thor Chuan Leong8–5
Winner3.2022IBSF World Snooker Championship Amir Sarkhosh5–0
Winner4.2024Malaysian Amateur Championship (3) Mohammed Reza Hassan8–2

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kok Leong falls to Thai legend Wattana in final. Bernama.com. May 22, 2022. March 4, 2023.
  2. Web site: Kok Leong, Wattana battle for gold. May 22, 2022. nst.com. March 4, 2023.
  3. Web site: Kok Leong gets pot of gold for his birthday. Thestar.com.my. May 18, 2022. March 4, 2023.
  4. Web site: Lim Kok Leong is the World Snooker Champion for the year 2022. November 11, 2022. ibsf.info. March 4, 2023.
  5. Web site: Lim Kok Leong wins IBSF World Championship. November 12, 2022. Snookerhq.com. March 4, 2023.
  6. Web site: SEA GAMES: CHUAN LEONG ENDS M'SIAN CAMPS AGONISING 48-HOUR WAIT FOR GOLD. Bernama.com. May 14, 2023. May 18, 2023.
  7. Web site: FINAL FOUR SET FOR ASIA/OCEANIA Q SCHOOL. wst.tv. 26 May 2024. 26 May 2024.
  8. Web site: Snooker: Keen Hoo-Kok Leong clinch World Team Championship title. October 9, 2022. Thestar.com. March 4, 2023.
  9. Web site: Malaysia, world champions. August 16, 2015. The Star. March 4, 2023.
  10. Web site: Keen Hoo-Kok Leong stay composed to ward off late Filipino fightback. NST Sports. December 7, 2019. March 6, 2023.
  11. Web site: Malaysian duo win world snooker title. October 9, 2022. nst.com. March 4, 2023.
  12. Web site: Cambodia's golden billiard players beat fancied Malaysia. Khmer Times. May 18, 2023. May 15, 2023.
  13. It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  14. New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking
  15. Web site: WORLD Team Snooker Championships Men - Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia 2022 .