Gold-medal hope Fu storms off in silence after shock defeat

The mountain came to Marco Fu Ka-chun - with organisers changing the snooker schedule of the East Asian Games - but Hong Kong's big gold medal hope failed miserably to climb it. Fu was dumped out of the quarter-finals yesterday by unheralded Yu Dalu of China.

The snooker tournament was brought forward - even before tomorrow's opening ceremony - so that Fu could play and then keep his pressing engagement at the UK Championships in England, which start this weekend. But the well-laid plans of the organisers failed as the world number-eight self-destructed.

Fu, 31, lost the best-of-seven frames match 4-1 in a short and brutal execution of the hosts' gold medal hopes

Asia's top-ranked player, who is often portrayed by Hong Kong officials as a golden example of the virtuosity of sport, then stormed out of the venue, refusing to meet the media - including the host broadcasters.

Yu, in marked contrast, took centre-stage and said: 'This is the biggest win in my career. I came to learn something from Marco Fu today for he is the professional, but...'.

Yu did not need to complete his sentence. We do not know what Fu was feeling and will probably have to wait until the end of the team event, of which he is still a part.

Danny Mak Yiu-hoi, president of the Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council, said he had asked Fu to meet the media, only for his request to be refused.