History has proven that age means very little when it comes to capturing the coveted World Snooker Championship title.
Oldest World Snooker Championship Winners
- 2022 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (46 years & 148 days)
- 1978 - Ray Reardon (45 years & 203 days)
- 2020 - Ronnie O'Sullivan (44 years & 254 days)
- 2018 - Mark Williams (43 years & 48 days)
Despite the fresh-faced Zhao Xintong romping to glory in Sheffield last year, the continued presence of the hallowed 'Class of 1992' - Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams - at the summit of the sport provides proof that there remains plenty of life left in the older generation of stars too.
Between the three green baize greats, they have reigned supreme on 14 occasions over the past 28 stagings of the World Snooker Championship, with the Rocket the most recent player to triumph in Sheffield in 2022 at the age of 46.
In fact, his victory over Judd Trump four years ago meant he became the oldest winner of the competition, breaking the previous record set by Welsh icon Ray Reardon - a six-time world champion - way back in 1978.
Reardon's record had stood the test of time, for 44 years, with O'Sullivan himself coming closest to breaking it in 2020, when he, just 300 days or so younger than the Welshman at the time of his last Crucible success in the late 70s, secured his sixth title with victory over Kyren Wilson.
The previously mentioned Williams, who has won the competition himself on three occasions, recorded the last of those at 43 when he famously beat long-term foe Higgins in a marathon affair back in 2018.
He famously undertook his post-match media duties donning just a towel, having vowed to speak to the media naked should he reign supreme for a third time; something he, of course, didn't actually believe he would go on to do.
