Taiwanese siblings (from left) Ko Ping-chung, Ko Ping-han and Ko Ping-yi are in Singapore to compete in the TE Capital APP 9-Ball tournament.
ST PHOTO: DAVID LEE
SINGAPORE – Growing up in an eight-table pool hall which their father owned in Taiwan’s Yilan county, it is no surprise that Ko Ping-yi, the eldest of three brothers, declared one day as a 12-year-old: “I want to learn to play pool.”
But nobody could have guessed that kiddy enthusiasm would lead to a pool empire as Ping-yi and Ping-chung would become world champions, while Ping-han is an Asian junior champion.
Ping-yi recounted how his father Chih-ming once kitted him out in suit and tie as they drove around the island looking for a coach.
The 34-year-old, in Singapore to defend his title at the ongoing TE Capital APP 9-Ball tournament, said: “I thought it strange that I had to be so formally attired then, but I think my dad just wanted people to take us seriously.”
The out-of-the-box methods continued. To hone his focus, Chih-ming would take him to stare down the unblinking honour guards at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
Ping-yi said: “After hours, he would pull down the shutters at his pool hall and put the music on at full blast while they played, or turn off the air-conditioning during summer. It made me very frustrated, and I couldn’t stand it.
“I thought about quitting because I was already trying hard and it never seemed good enough then. But I persevered because I love pool, and his weird ways worked because I’m now able to stay calm when conditions are not ideal.”
Among his notable achievements are coming from 4-14 down to beat Filipino Dennis Orcollo 15-14 at the 2008 Thailand Open final and winning the 2007 and 2008 World Nine-ball Junior Championship.
He also claimed both the nine-ball and 10-ball world titles in 2015, a golden year in which he lifted the World Cup of Pool with compatriot Chang Yu-lung.
His success would inspire his younger brothers – both are also competing this week at the Aspire Recreation Centre at HarbourFront Centre – to follow in his footsteps.
Ping-chung, 28, laughed as he said: “I have to thank my big brother for sparing me the pain and grief he went through as the trailblazer, as I could learn from his mistakes and solutions.”
Considered the most talented of the trio, he won the World Nine-ball Junior Championship in 2013 and the World 10-ball Championship in 2019.
He added: “Actually, I was quite resistant to playing competitively because I witnessed the scoldings Ping-yi got, and I thought it was a very tough thing to do. But my dad still dragged me to tournaments, and I really enjoyed it.
“I’m really grateful to my brother because I can ask him anything and trust him to give me solutions without fail. I also have to thank my dad because my big-match temperament was built from young, playing in all those events in front of big crowds.”
Nothing, however, could have prepared them for the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing travel restrictions. As full-time athletes who are not funded by their government and have to rely on prize money and sponsorship, that was a crisis.
Up stepped Ping-han, 25, who turned the obstacle into an opportunity by launching the Ko Brothers Billiards YouTube channel, which now has over 20,000 subscribers and 300 videos.
He said: “Because of the hectic travel and tournament schedule, we couldn’t find a time to do this together earlier. When we finally could, we had to start from scratch.”
Filming, editing, and scripting were alien to the trio, but they transferred their strong work ethic to their new venture, even hiring a coach to improve on their speech delivery and body language.
“The YouTube channel helped to make us more accessible to sponsors and the public, and we also want to use it to promote the sport and make it more popular in Taiwan,” said Ping-han.
To think that he was torn between playing darts and pool, before he chose the latter when he was 18 as it “felt more right”. While he captured the Asian junior championship in 2016, he is trying to land his first senior title.
He can count of support from familiar faces though. Ping-yi said: “We are very happy to do this together, and we really do everything together – when we are overseas, we stay in one room, and even when we go out to get food, we go together.
“We are brothers, but we are also like friends. There is no strife among us, Ping-chung and Ping-han are very obedient. Compared to other players who have to navigate their pro careers on their own, we have each other as our pillars of support, and we are very blessed.”
