A Night of Icons: Referee Desislava Bozhilova Returns to Social Media After Year-Long Absence to Hail Zhao Xintong’s Miracle Crucible Crown
After more than a year of digital silence, elite referee Desislava Bozhilova has officially returned to social media. The 32-year-old Bulgarian official, who hadn’t posted since celebrating her birthday in Vietnam in October 2023, broke her hiatus to commemorate a historic night at the 2025 World Snooker Championship.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Bozhilova shared her gratitude after officiating the 18-12 final between Zhao Xintong and Mark Williams.
“I loved every second of it. It was a pleasure to be involved in a game like that,” she wrote, while also displaying a trophy from the Bulgarian Snooker Federation honoring her career milestone.
Bozhilova’s presence in the final was as historic as the match itself. By taking charge of the showdown at the Crucible, she achieved several landmark feats:
The Triple Crown Queen: She became the first woman in history to referee the finals of all three Triple Crown events (The Masters, UK Championship, and World Championship).
Elite Company: She is only the second woman ever to officiate a World Championship final, following in the footsteps of the legendary Michaela Tabb.
The match she oversaw will be remembered as the greatest underdog story in snooker history. Zhao Xintong, aged 28, completed a 29-day odyssey that began in the qualifiers and ended with him lifting the trophy.
The Record Breaker: Zhao became the first-ever amateur and the first-ever Asian player to win the World Snooker Championship.
The Giant Slayer: His path to the title was a “blitz” through the sport’s elite, including a stunning victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The Reward: For his 111-frame marathon, Zhao walked away with the £500,000 top prize and catapulted to 11th in the world rankings as he prepares to return to full professional status for the 2025/26 season.
While the night belonged to Zhao, Bozhilova also paid tribute to the runner-up, Mark Williams. Despite the 18-12 loss, the 50-year-old Welshman’s journey to his fifth World Final was hailed by the referee as a testament to his enduring class and longevity in the sport.