Seven-year-old Chinese snooker prodigy wears bizarre EIGHT-INCH shoes - custom-built by his father - to reach the table at tournament

Published: 06:42 EST, 13 November 2026 | Updated: 06:47 EST, 13 November 2026 A seven-year-old snooker prodigy has found a remarkable way to compete by wearing shoes with an eight-inch foam platform.In a video from Thailand that has gone viral, a young player can be seen in action with a crowd watching on.Yet, on closer inspection, the wonderkid was wearing extremely large shoes as he lined up a shot. The boy, dressed sharply in a white shirt and grey waistcoat, then walked around the table as the size of his footwear became clearer. It is understood the shoes, which were made by his parents because of his small height, have added 20cm to his stature, almost resembling built-in stilts.This has allowed the seven-year-old, who is reportedly Wu Yiren from China, to comfortably compete on regulation-size snooker tables. A seven-year-old snooker prodigy has found a remarkable way to compete at a full size table Inspired by his parents, the boy wore shores with an eight-inch platform, adding around 20cm to his heightYiren was involved in a tournament in Bangkok at the time, and in the clip he was potting balls with ease, leaving fans shocked. It remains to be seen what happens next with the seven-year-old, but with his modified shoes he may be able to take on the likes of snooker legends Ronnie O'Sullivan and Kyren Wilson at a future tournament. Snooker as a sport has strict regulations on its dress code, with standard player attire including a shirt, a bow or neck tie, a waistcoat, smart trousers and specific shoes and socks.On the latter, socks must match a player's suit, while they have to wear clean formal shoes, loafers or dress boots, with sneakers or sports shoes not permitted.However, Yiren is not the first player to have modified their footwear after Jimmy White was granted special permission to alter the strict dress code in September.That came during a Scottish Open qualifying match when White, who was nursing an ankle injury, was given dispensation by the sport's governing body to wear slippers instead.