South African pool champion, Kyle Akaloo, has once again defended his 9 Ball and Straight Pool title for the third consecutive year. He emerged victorious in this year’s national championships held over the weekend in Cape Town.
Akaloo, 35, from Malvern and a father of one, played 13 matches in the Men's 2025 9 Ball and Men's 2025 Straight Pool competitions at the Sessions Billiard Club in Tyger Valley, Bellville.
Of the 13 matches he played, he lost one.
“I feel ecstatic. It’s a different feeling from just being a champion once or even twice because each year only got more difficult. I know it will get even harder, but I am determined to hold my title as national champion,” he said.
To prepare for this year’s championships, Akaloo spent the last month focusing on a stringent morning routine.
“I woke up at 5am, drank 500ml of water, meditated, did yoga, had a cold shower and then I read. After reading, I had breakfast and read again. It sounds easy but doing it for a month and being consistent was difficult. But the routine helped me stay focused for the month leading up to the championships,” he added.
He said his passion for cue sport and his success stemmed from him being a competitive sports lover.
“I am hyper competitive by nature. I also watch, play and follow many other sports. I play indoor soccer, squash, chess and online gaming. I also cycle and run."
Last year, Akaloo ranked in the top 64 of the US Open 9 Ball Championships. He was also the only player to be ranked number one for pool and snooker simultaneously in South Africa.
The highlights of his career include him competing in the World Cup of Pool last year. He said cue sport was growing and urged those with a passion for pool to develop their skills.
“Cue sport is a growing sport in South Africa, and I encourage youngsters and adults to join a club and develop themselves as players if they have a passion for pool. The only challenge is that we have limited access to high quality matches and a lack of resources.
"Funding is a major issue as cue sports players do not get funding like those in other codes of sport. We are advocating for the challenges to be addressed, so that more people with skills in pool can join local teams to develop the sport,” Akaloo said.