'Billiard' Lafir - The First Ever World Champion
M.J.M. Lafir who was born today in 1930, is a story that started with marbles and a broomstick, and ends with Sri Lanka's first world championship title in any sport!
If you have been around Grandpass, the "M.J.M. Lafir Mawatha" may sound familiar to the daily commuter. He's none other than Muhammad Junaid Muhammad Lafir - the first Sri Lankan to bear the title of a 'World Champion' of any sport!
Born on a day like this in 1930, he was very invested in the game through his father as a youngster. It's even so that he used to practice the game with marbles and a broomstick on the dining table. He schooled at Hameed Al Husseinie College and started to play friendly games at the Moors Islamic Culture House (MICH) at 17.
Billiards vs Snooker
By the time he was 18 years old, the Ceylon Amateur Billiards Association was founded and he won his first National Championship in Snooker and from 1952 onwards till his retirement, he won the National Snooker Championship 15 times and National Billiards Championship 16 times.
Now Snooker and Billiards may sound like the same sport with the same skillset but Snooker is where there are 22 balls are play with calling for pockets while in Billiards, it's only three balls with no pockets!
The First World Champion from Sri Lanka
It was in 1973 when M.J.M. Lafir achieved something unique in Sri Lanka's sporting history by winning the World Amateur Billiards Championship, a historic moment in the sport and in any sport because no one has won a World title before!
We all know about the Cricket being a team sport became World Cup winners in 1996 and 2014 (T20) but this was an individual achievement, which is often forgotten but also one that is yet to be matched. He did share similar success in Snooker at the World Snooker Championships before, always in the Top 4 but found luck in Billards. Notably, he also set a new world record with a break of 859.
The newly crowned World Champion was welcomed in grand style at the airport on a red carpet and was honoured with a special with his excellency the Prime Minister and many other dignitaries. However, he could not defend his title the next year as he lost his Quarter Final match.
Remembering His Legacy
Sadly, he passed away in 1981 aged only 51 at his home beside his family in bed, having remained the national champion for 24 years, nearly half his lifetime. In 1988, Messenger Street was renamed as "M.J.M. Lafir Mawatha" in honour of him as the first ever World Champion in any sport.
Additionally, a stamp was issued in his memory and the SAARC Snooker Championship which is played for the M.J.M. Lafir Memorial Trophy is organised by the South Asian Cue Sports Association, honouring of one of the greatest cueists from Asia.
The stamp of M.J.M. Lafir issued in 1988