Exclusive: Mark Allen Goes Cold in Quest to Heat Up at the Crucible

Mark Allen has taken the plunge with regular ice baths ahead of his bid to win a maiden World Championship. 

The former UK and Masters champion needs an elusive Crucible crown to join an elite club of Triple Crown winners — which currently only has 11 members.

Antrim ace Allen started the campaign at world No.1 but has been left “lost” at times this season with his game.

Always one of the hardest workers on the World Snooker Tour, Allen has rededicated himself off the table and lost a stone in weight thanks to ice baths and saunas.

Work with sports psychologist Paul Gaffney, which he credited with helping him win six big titles in the previous two seasons, has also ramped up ahead of his title tilt in Sheffield.

Allen underwent an incredible transformation a couple of years ago where he lost over seven stone.

And in an exclusive interview, he told SportsBoom.com: “I’ve lost some weight in the last month."

“I’ve been doing ice baths every day in the garden. It's not very fun, but I’m doing it."

“I’ve been doing a sauna for 20-30 minutes and an ice bath for five to ten and that's part of the weight loss thing."

“I’ve lost a stone in the last month and I’m feeling better about myself which will hopefully lend itself to playing some good snooker as well.”

Allen firmly believes that he will one day be world champion and he is drawing inspiration from multiple sources during this year’s campaign. 

The Northern Irishman had tears in his eyes watching compatriot Rory McIlroy win the Masters in dramatic fashion just before the Crucible circus rolled into Sheffield.

The Green Jacket was all that was stopping McIlroy from competing golf's Grand Slam.

Allen is buoyed from the fact the two previous world champions, Luca Brecel and Kyren Wilson, both conquered the Crucible after poor seasons.

“I haven't had a good season at all,” added Allen. 

“You saw with Kyren last year, he had a worse season than I've had and walked away with the world title and that's what it's all about."

“I don’t feel like I've had my best game, but it hasn’t been through a lack of effort or hard work."

“I just haven't really clicked. It would be a nice time to do it here in Sheffield."

“It’s just about finding a way to win. I’ll have to play some good snooker over the 17 days, but I won't have to play brilliant. I’ll just have to do things at the right time."

“I’m in as good a place as I could be at this point considering where I was a few month’s ago.”

Allen avoided the car crash of the first round, where four seeds crashed out in the opening two days.

The draw has opened up in Allen's section with world champion Wilson and former winner Neil Robertson already sent to the Sheffield scrapheap. 

But Allen, who faces Chris Wakelin in the last 16, said: “You can’t read too much into that at all.”

“You see seven or eight seeds go out in the first round every year. It shows how strong the tour is now. There are now easy draws here.”