Pankaj Advani
Encyclopedia
Pankaj Arjan Advani (born 24 July 1985 in Pune
) is an Indian Billiards and Snooker player. A winner of seven World Titles in Billiards and Snooker, he is considered to be the one of the best Billiards Player India has produced. In 2005, he set a world record by becoming the first player to complete a grand double by winning both the points format as well as the time format titles in the IBSF World Billiards championship
, Malta. For his commendable performance as a Billiards and Snooker player, and his invaluable contribution to the nation through the laurels he brought home he has been honoured with a number of prestigious awards, having been bestowed the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour, in 2009, The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, which was conferred on him in 2006 and the Arjuna Award in 2004.
. Pankaj spent his initial years in Kuwait
before moving to Bangalore
. He received his education at the Frank Anthony Public School
, Bangalore and completed his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Mahaveer Jain College
, Bangalore. He received training in snooker from former national Snooker champion Arvind Savur.
At the age of 10 his acumen for snooker came to the notice of Arvind Savur at the Karnataka State Billiards Association Hall. He won his first ever title at the age of 12 and went on to set several records at the state and national levels. In the year 2000 he won his first Indian Junior Billiards Championship title and then went on to win it again in 2001 and 2003. In 2003 he won the India Junior Snooker Championship which made him the youngest National Snooker champion.
after Malta's Paul Mifsud to have won both the billiards and snooker world titles. In the same year, he achieved a "grand double" by winning both the points and timed formats at the IBSF World Billiards Championships 2005, and he repeated the same feat at the 2008 Championships held in Bangalore.
He is also the youngest Asian to have won the IBSF titles for a record six times. Pankaj Advani also remains the only person to have won all 5 Billiards tournaments in a season, a feat he achieved by winning the Junior National Championship, Senior National Championship, Asian Billiards Championship, World Billiards Championship (point format) and World Billiards Championship (time format).
Pankaj Advani won his first world professional championship title in 2009. He won the World Professional Billiards title held at Leeds in 2009, registering a comprehensive win against the defending and nine-time champion Mike Russell
. Advani beat the defending champion 2030-1253 after having an 800-plus lead at the break. He became the second Indian to win the title after Geet Sethi
. The following year, compatriot Dhruv Sitwala defeated defending champion Pankaj Advani in the quarter final stage of the World Professional Billiards Championship, 2010. Pankaj advanced to the semi -final stage of the 2011 Championship after defeating Devendra Joshi but was then defeated by Mike Russell at the semi -final stage.
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
) is an Indian Billiards and Snooker player. A winner of seven World Titles in Billiards and Snooker, he is considered to be the one of the best Billiards Player India has produced. In 2005, he set a world record by becoming the first player to complete a grand double by winning both the points format as well as the time format titles in the IBSF World Billiards championship
IBSF World Billiards Championship
The IBSF World Billiards Championship is the premier non-professional tournament for the game of English billiards in the world...
, Malta. For his commendable performance as a Billiards and Snooker player, and his invaluable contribution to the nation through the laurels he brought home he has been honoured with a number of prestigious awards, having been bestowed the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour, in 2009, The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, which was conferred on him in 2006 and the Arjuna Award in 2004.
Early Life
Pankaj Advani was born on July 24, 1985 in PunePune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. Pankaj spent his initial years in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
before moving to Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. He received his education at the Frank Anthony Public School
The Frank Anthony Public School, New Delhi
The Frank Anthony Public School is a school in New Delhi, India.The school was founded in 1959 by Mr. Frank Anthony who was a member of the Indian constituent assembly and represented the Anglo-Indian committee. The four school buildings, designed by the German architect Mr...
, Bangalore and completed his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Mahaveer Jain College
Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College
-External links:*...
, Bangalore. He received training in snooker from former national Snooker champion Arvind Savur.
At the age of 10 his acumen for snooker came to the notice of Arvind Savur at the Karnataka State Billiards Association Hall. He won his first ever title at the age of 12 and went on to set several records at the state and national levels. In the year 2000 he won his first Indian Junior Billiards Championship title and then went on to win it again in 2001 and 2003. In 2003 he won the India Junior Snooker Championship which made him the youngest National Snooker champion.
Billiards Career
Pankaj made his debut at the Asian Billiards Championship 2002, held at Bangalore where he finished as a finalist. Thereafter, he went on to win the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Snooker Championship 2003 in China at the age of 18 years. He also won the IBSF World Billiards Championship in 2005 at Qawra, Malta. He is the only Indian to have won the world title in both snooker and billiards and only the second cueistCue stick
A cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the...
after Malta's Paul Mifsud to have won both the billiards and snooker world titles. In the same year, he achieved a "grand double" by winning both the points and timed formats at the IBSF World Billiards Championships 2005, and he repeated the same feat at the 2008 Championships held in Bangalore.
He is also the youngest Asian to have won the IBSF titles for a record six times. Pankaj Advani also remains the only person to have won all 5 Billiards tournaments in a season, a feat he achieved by winning the Junior National Championship, Senior National Championship, Asian Billiards Championship, World Billiards Championship (point format) and World Billiards Championship (time format).
Pankaj Advani won his first world professional championship title in 2009. He won the World Professional Billiards title held at Leeds in 2009, registering a comprehensive win against the defending and nine-time champion Mike Russell
Mike Russell
Mike Russell is a radio presenter from Tunbridge Wells in Kent in the United Kingdom.-Biography:Mike began his career working for as an ambient replenisher for now defunct supermarket Gateways in Shaftesbury in the late 1990s, before joining Key Markets in Crawley. In his first position in radio he...
. Advani beat the defending champion 2030-1253 after having an 800-plus lead at the break. He became the second Indian to win the title after Geet Sethi
Geet Sethi
Geet Siriram Sethi of India is a professional player of English billiards who dominated the sport throughout much of the 1990s, and a notable amateur snooker player. He is a six-time winner of the professional-level and a three-time winner of the amateur World Championships, and holder of two...
. The following year, compatriot Dhruv Sitwala defeated defending champion Pankaj Advani in the quarter final stage of the World Professional Billiards Championship, 2010. Pankaj advanced to the semi -final stage of the 2011 Championship after defeating Devendra Joshi but was then defeated by Mike Russell at the semi -final stage.
Titles
- 2010
- Asian GamesAsian GamesThe Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
Gold Medallist - English Billiards Singles - Asian Billiards Championship
- Asian Games
- 2009
- World Professional Billiards Championship2009 World Professional Billiards ChampionshipThe 2009 World Professional Billiards Championship, the top international professional competition in English billiards, was held at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, England, between 2 and 6 September 2009...
- Asian Billiards Championship
- World Professional Billiards Championship
- 2008
- IBSF World Billiards Championship (both formats - timed and points)
- Asian Billiards Championship
- 2006
- Asian GamesAsian GamesThe Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
Gold Medallist - English Billiards singles
- Asian Games
- 2005
- IBSF World Billiards Championship (both formats - timed and points)
- Asian Billiards Championship
- India Billiards Championship
- India Junior Snooker Championship
- India Junior Billiards Championship
- WSA Challenge Tour
- 2004
- WSA Challenge Tour
- 2003
- IBSF World Snooker Championship
- Indian Junior Billiards Championship
- Indian Junior Snooker Championship
- 2001
- Indian Junior Billiards Championship
- 2000
- Indian Junior Billiards Championship
- 1999
- Pot Shot All India Triangular Championship
- Pot Shot non-medallist Championship
- 1998
- Karnataka State Junior Snooker Championship
- 1997
- 27th BS Sampath Memorial Handicap Snooker Championship
- T.A. Selvaraj Memorial Billiards Championship
- Karnataka Stage Junior Snooker Championship
Awards and honors
- Padma ShriPadma ShriPadma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
, India's fourth highest civilian honour, 2009 - Rajiv Gandhi Khel RatnaRajiv Gandhi Khel RatnaThe Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "Sports Gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash...
, India's highest sporting honour, 2005-06 - Rajyotsava Award, Karnataka's highest civilian award, 2007.
- Karnataka's 'Kempegowda Award" in 2007.
- The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2006.
- Vision of India's "International Indian" Award in 2005.
- Senior Sportsperson of the Year 2005
- The Sports Writers' Association of Bangalore's
- The Bangalore University ' Sportsperson of the Year, 2005
- The Hero India Sports Award (HISA) in 2004
- The Rajeev Gandhi Award in 2004
- The Arjuna Award in 2004
- The Indo-American Young Achiever's Award - 2003
- The Sports Star Sportsperson of the Year 2003.