BEIJING, May 7 — Zhao Xintong’s stunning World Snooker Championship triumph went viral back home yesterday with trailblazer Ding Junhui leading the tributes to China’s latest sporting superstar.

The 28-year-old Zhao became the first Asian to win the prestigious title with an 18-12 victory over Mark Williams in the final at the Crucible in Sheffield on Monday.

On Chinese social media platform Weibo the hash tag “Zhao Xintong wins world championship” had 120 million views as of Tuesday morning and was among the top-trending stories.