Darts star puts on a great match, then tears well up in his interview
London - They perform on a big stage, are cheered on by the roaring crowds in the legendary Ally Pally, but they are also under a lot of pressure. On Wednesday, darts star Michael van Gerwen (35) released a lot of tension in a very emotional moment after reaching the semi-finals.
He was in tears both at the press conference and in the interview with Sport1 after his 5:3 victory over Callan Rydz (26) in the quarter-finals of the World Championships.
When he was asked by presenter Katharina Kleinfeldt (31) how he relaxes after a match like that, he got emotional. "I've just spoken to my wife on the phone and I've cried a bit," reports the Dutchman, visibly teary-eyed again.
"People need to understand that this is my job, my passion, my life. I've been doing this for a very long time and I love what I do. But maintaining this sometimes takes a lot of energy and sacrifice," continued the three-time world champion.
His wife Daphne and their daughter (7) and son (4) are not with him in London, and van Gerwen misses his family enormously. "They know why I'm away. I'm here on a mission and everyone knows that," he explained at the press conference after the match.
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On Monday, they will all go on vacation together, then he wants to make up for the time with them.
Of course, the Dutchman would prefer to have the World Cup trophy in his luggage on the way home, but he won't just have to get Chris Dobey (34) out of the way in the semi-final. In the final, child prodigy Luke Littler (17) might be waiting to take the title from him as the youngest world champion of all time.
Van Gerwen was crowned World Champion in this category in 2014 at the age of 24. "Nobody should lose faith in me. It's looking good, but we're still a long way off," said the Dutchman.
After a difficult year in 2024, he returned to a dominant game in the quarter-finals, with only a nine-darter missing as the crowning glory. However, he might be able to pull it off in the semi-final on Thursday evening (8.45 pm) or in the big final showdown against Littler.
If van Gerwen really does manage the big coup for the fourth time, tears are likely to flow again.