- Chris Wakelin became a viral sensation after his appearance at UK Championships
- A video of 32-year-old potting a ball has been viewed more than five million times
Snooker player Chris Wakelin joked that he should get a ‘sponsor’s logo on his a*** for the next season’ after becoming an unlikely sex icon on social media.
Following his first-round win over Matthew Selt at the UK Championship last Monday, a video of the 32-year-old stretching over the table to pot a ball was widely circulated on TikTok.
The clip was accompanied by lyrics from the raunchy Sabrina Carpenter song ‘Juno’, in which she says the line : ‘Have you ever tried this one?’ The verse relates to different sexual position she does during her nightly concerts.
‘I was sat in the pub with my mate. Having a few beers.’ Wakelin told The Sun. ‘This video came through on my phone. I’m some sort of sex icon on TikTok – with my a* in the air.
‘I thought, err, that wasn’t the plan this week, not how I was expecting to make the headlines. Whoever posted it, thanks. Thanks very much. It was pretty cool. Me being in my 30s, I’m not really the right age to understand TikTok. So it took me a good ten minutes to work out actually what was going on.
‘I’d never even heard this song before. I’d never heard of Sabrina Carpenter before. I know who she is now!’
Chris Wakelin, 32, has become a viral sensation after his appearance at UK Championships
A video of Wakelin potting a ball while stretching over the table has been viewed more than five million times on TikTok
The 32-year-old crashed out of the UK Championship in the second round after defeat by Kyren Wilson
Ahead of his 6-2 second-round loss to Kyren Wilson on Thursday, Wakelin was hilariously introduced by MC Rob Walker as a ‘social-media sensation’ because his ‘eye-catching gymnastic stretch across the table had gone viral’.
The video of Wakelin has been viewed more than five million times on the social media platform. The world No15 lost in last month’s International Championship final, missing out on the £175,000 prize.
At the Barbican in York, world No1 Judd Trump added a second UK Championship trophy to his cabinet and more than £1million to his bank balance. He secured his second UK crown – 13 years after his first – by beating 45-year-old qualifier Barry Hawkins 10-8 in a hard-fought final.
Trump, 35, has also now claimed 30 ranking titles in his career, putting him just one behind John Higgins on the all-time list, six off Stephen Hendry and 11 behind record-holder Ronnie O’Sullivan.
