Hsia Hui-kai

Hsia Hui-kai is a retired professional pool player from Taiwan, born in 1975, who competed in regional and international cue sports tournaments and was nicknamed Assassin and Invincible Iron Man by the Taiwanese media. He first encountered billiards at thirteen and, despite his parents' early disapproval because of stereotypes linking billiards to poor schooling and smoking, showed such talent that his family came to support him. In 1992, at sixteen, he won the World Cup Nine-Ball Junior Championship and successfully defended the title in 1993. After high school he committed to a professional billiards career and was noted for a muscular physique that is uncommon among billiard players.