Darts - Back on the mountain: Clemens and the drop at Ally Pally
Gabriel Clemens returned to the scene of his memorable success even before his own World Championship opener. The best German darts pro drove up the hill in north London after arriving in England on Tuesday and took in the sometimes stuffy air in the legendary Alexandra Palace for the first time.
The German Giant did not mix with the crowd, staying in the players' area on the day of the German double-header with matches between Dragutin Horvat and shooting star Ricardo Pietreczko.
That will change on Thursday (22:00/Sport1 and DAZN). Clemens will step into the spotlight. And anything other than a victory over outsider Man Lok Leung from Hong Kong would be a bitter disappointment. The 40-year-old from Saarland is aware of the huge significance of the World Cup. "Lives can change. It's simply the biggest and most important tournament," said Clemens.
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The tournament has already changed his life as an athlete. Completely surprisingly, the former machinist made it to the semi-finals at the last edition, beating the then top player Gerwyn Price from Wales 5:1. The result: Clemens flickered across the television screens in front of millions of viewers on the 8.00 pm news program, and after the World Cup he was invited directly to ZDF's "Aktuelle Sportstudio".
"The attention is extremely focused on the World Cup. This year it's even more extreme because of Gaga's semi-final. Wherever he was, that was also brutal. I think there will be similar attention again this year," Martin Schindler told the German Press Agency. Schindler is not only the second-best German darts pro, but also Clemens' buddy and traveling partner. The latter recently admitted that all the appointments after the World Cup coup had perhaps been a bit much.
He is fairly relaxed about the outcome of the World Championships, big drop or not. "Personally, I don't have any more pressure. The pressure is always put on me somehow. You have to write something," said Clemens to the journalists in his typical sourness, which earned him a lot of sympathy from the fans last year. He doesn't like interviews and the media and says so openly. The fact that he can no longer escape all the hullabaloo is something he has brought on himself with an outstanding World Cup.
Semi-final? "Why not?"
Professional colleagues and experts have high hopes for Clemens. If he manages to beat Leung in the opening round, Dave Chisnall from England will be waiting in round three. A top-five opponent will not be up until the quarter-finals at the earliest. "The Ally Pally is a good place for him, he's beaten Peter Wright there and achieved great success. He'll take that with him, he knows that," said darts expert Elmar Paulke.
The sport of darts in Germany has benefited from Clemens' success. More tickets than ever were sold for the PDC Europe events in 2023. The viewing figures for the current World Championship indicate a further upward trend. And the hottest phase, the time after Christmas, is yet to come. Will Clemens reach the semi-finals again? "Why not? He reached the semi-finals again at the Players Championship Finals. He played solid to very, very good darts. I think we should give him as much credit as ever," said Florian Hempel, who got Germany off to a top start in the World Championship on Sunday with a 3:1 win over Dylan Slevin from Ireland.
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- Gabriel Clemens' journey brought him back to Alexandra Palace, the venue of his semifinal run in the last World Darts Championship (WM).
- Ricardo Pietreczko and Dragutin Horvat participated in a double-header match at Alexandra Palace, watched by German darts pro Gabriel Clemens.
- The World Darts Championship in London is broadcast on Sport1 and DAZN, with Gabriel Clemens set to play against Man Lok Leung from Hong Kong on Thursday at 22:00.
- The International Darts Federation (PDC) event at Alexandra Palace saw an increase in ticket sales and television viewership due to Gabriel Clemens' success in the previous WM.
- Martin Schindler, the second-best German darts pro and Clemens' traveling companion, spoke to the German Press Agency about the attention and focus on the World Championship, emphasizing the tournament's importance.
- Darts expert Elmar Paulke praised Clemens' performance at Alexandra Palace, noting his successful matches against top players, including Peter Wright.
- After his historic semi-final run in the 2022 World Championship, Gabriel Clemens will face Man Lok Leung from Hong Kong in the opening round of the 2023 edition, with Dave Chisnall awaiting in the third round.
- German darts analyst Florian Hempel acknowledged the pressure on Clemens to repeat his 2022 semi-finals performance at the upcoming World Darts Championship, expressing confidence in his ability to do so.
Source: www.stern.de
