Photo: DerHexer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped. This adapted image is also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Neil Robertson has won the China Open, thrashing Jack Lisowski 11-4 in the final in Beijing on Sunday. It's the 16th ranking title of the plant-based Australian's career, and it lifts him three places to number four in the world, two weeks before the World Championship starts at the Crucible.
Robertson was 8-1 up after the first session, which included a superb 141 in the second frame. Lisowski won two late frames, but a 79 break got Robertson over the line.
The win means a lot after a frustrating March. Robertson lost the finals of both the Players Championship and the Tour Championship to Ronnie O'Sullivan, and he's now reached the final of his last four ranking events. It was a repeat of last July's Riga Masters final, which Robertson also won against Lisowski. He had to dig deep to beat Luca Brecel in the semi-final, too.
Robertson has eaten a fully plant-based diet since late 2014. He doesn't use the word vegan for himself, partly because he can't find snooker shoes without leather, but he's happy to talk about what plants do for him. He told Great Vegan Athletes that the worry from other people came from not understanding the diet:
At first there are people who were concerned but that came from not knowing exactly what a plant based diet is. ‘Where do you get your protein’ is the most common question! All my family are very supportive and a few are vegetarian.
He also said the switch makes him feel better about himself:
It certainly makes me feel like a better person for the change and knowing we can get everything we need on a plant based diet.
This comes two months after Robertson won the Welsh Open and made a 147 in Cardiff. Last week plant-based Erin Phillips won the AFLW Grand Final best-on-ground medal despite tearing her ACL.
Next stop, the Crucible. Powered by plants.