When Jude Owens was 2, he fell in love with playing snooker, a game similar to pool. He got so good at it that now, at age 3, he holds two world records for being the youngest person to complete certain snooker trick shots. And he’s only getting started.
Snooker is a game similar to pool, played on a large table with six pockets. Players use a stick called a “cue” to hit the white cue ball, aiming to knock other balls into the pockets. While snooker has its own set of rules, the skills needed are similar to those used in pool.
Jude, who’s now 3, is very young to be playing snooker. But he has been surprising people with his skills since he was two and a half years old.
(Source: Guinness World Records.)
Jude’s father is a big fan of snooker, and when Jude turned two, the family gave him a small snooker table for Christmas. Because of his small size, Jude began playing with just half a cue stick. But his father says he showed a natural talent for the game.
Jude was so good that his parents began to share videos of him playing on social media. As a result, Jude now has thousands of fans.
(Source: Guinness World Records.)
Jude is still too short to play while standing on the floor, so he uses a stool. But that doesn’t bother him. When he plays, he stretches out across the table, steadying himself with one hand as he strikes the ball with the other.
In September of last year, at the age of 2 years and 261 days, Jude set his first Guinness World Record. He became the youngest person ever to complete a snooker “double pot”. That means he hit the white ball once and sent two other balls into two different pockets.
(Source: Guinness World Records.)
In October of last year, Jude set another Guinness World Record. This time, he became the youngest person ever to make a “bank shot” in snooker. That involves hitting the white ball into another ball, which must bounce off the side of the table before going into a pocket. Jude was 2 years and 302 days old when he set that record.
Jude is clearly a natural. He has already met several famous snooker players, who were impressed by his skills. Jude’s father says he thinks Jude will probably beat him at snooker someday. “He doesn’t beat me at snooker at the moment,” he said. “But I like to think he would in the next few years easily.”
(Source: Guinness World Records.)
Jude’s mother says that Jude doesn’t really know the rules of the game. When Jude was asked what his favorite shot was, he replied, “A trick shot.” But that hasn’t stopped him from learning some advanced snooker skills.
Despite his talent, Jude’s parents are not pushing him to play. He usually plays just once a week. “We don’t like to push it on him,” says his mom. “It’s more of just a hobby.”