| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's pool | ||
| Competitor for Chinese Taipei | ||
| Asian Games | ||
| Gold | 1998 Bangkok | Eight ball individual |
| Bronze | 1998 Bangkok | Nine ball individual |
Chao Fong-pang (Chinese: 趙豐邦) (b. September 15, 1967 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese professional pool player.
He won the WPA World Nine-ball Championship in 1993 against Thomas Hasch of Germany. Thus, he became the first Asian to win a world title in pocket billiards.
In 1995, he won the International Challenge of Champions against Japan's Takeshi Okumura, a player who won the world nine-ball the year after he did.
Three year later, he won the gold medal in the eight-ball event of the Asian Games.[1]
Chao regained the world nine-ball championship in 2000 by defeating Mexico's Ismael Paez, 17-6. The lead of that score was the largest deficit ever made in a world championship final.
By 2001, Chao won for the International Challenge of Champions for the second time, defeating Francisco Bustamante who won the event back in 1999. He won it again for the third time in 2005 with a victory over Thomas Engert, the 2004 winner.[2]
Chao Fong-pang is renowned for his <dfn style="border-bottom:1px dotted #0645AD; font-style:inherit;">jump shots</dfn>, relying on them considerably more frequently that most other pros. One notable instance was when he played versus Francisco Bustamante at the 2001 ICC tie-breaker: Bustamante had made a good <dfn style="border-bottom:1px dotted #0645AD; font-style:inherit;">snooker</dfn> behind a ball, leaving Chao in a difficult position. But Chao went for the jump, and made it to win the <dfn style="border-bottom:1px dotted #0645AD; font-style:inherit;">match</dfn> and the title.
While a majority of Taiwanese players play with open <dfn style="border-bottom:1px dotted #0645AD; font-style:inherit;">bridge hands</dfn>, Chao is among the few who play with a closed or loop bridge.
| Preceded by Johnny Archer |
WPA Men's World Nine-ball Champion 1993 |
Succeeded by Takeshi Okumura |
| Preceded by Efren Reyes |
WPA Men's World Nine-ball Champion 2000 |
Succeeded by Mika Immonen |
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