Darts World Championship in London - Smith and the farewell to the darts throne
Michael Smith won't be doing any teleshopping with a magnificent view this time. The dethroned darts champion from England will not only have to bid farewell to the World Championship as defending champion, but will also lose his number one status after exactly one year on January 4.
"Michael is a great guy. But there could only be one winner and I'm glad it was my night," said Chris Dobey after his furious 4:0 win over Smith.
The previous year, the latter had achieved the World Championship triumph with strong double ratings and watched TV shows in his hotel the following night - the huge Sid Waddell Trophy could be seen in the corner.
A mixed year
This time, the farewell to Alexandra Palace in London was much more sober. The defeat in the round of 16 against the excellent Dobey was at best surprising in its severity. The Bully Boy, as Smith is known, had already revealed weaknesses against Kevin Doets (3:2) and Madars Razma (4:1). The last professional darts player to become world champion twice in a row remains Scotland's Gary Anderson (2015 and 2016).
The year since the World Championship title has been extremely mixed for the 33-year-old Smith. 13 professionals won more prize money than the Englishman in the 2023 calendar year, which is one of the reasons why he will now be replaced as number one. The candidates for this are Michael van Gerwen from the Netherlands and Luke Humphries from England. The PDC ranking list is calculated over a period of two years.
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Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries, both from England, are among the contenders to replace Michael Smith as the number one ranked darts player, following Smith's defeat in the Round of 16 at the World Darts Championship in London. This marks the end of Smith's reign as defending champion and the loss of his number one status, which he had held for a year.
The Dutch darts legend, Michael van Gerwen, has had a successful year in the PDC ranking list, calculated over a two-year period. He is one of the top contenders to take over Smith's position, along with fellow English player Luke Humphries.
The World Darts Championship took place at Alexandra Palace in London, and Michael Smith, known as 'The Bully Boy', had a mixed performance in the tournament. His defeat to Chris Dobey in the Round of 16 was particularly surprising, given Smith's strong double ratings in the previous year's championship.
English darts players have been performing well in the PDC ranking list. Apart from Michael Smith and Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen from the Netherlands is also among the top contenders for the number one spot.
Michael Smith's one-year reign as the number one ranked darts player ended on January 4, 2023. He lost his title as defending champion in the World Darts Championship in London to Chris Dobey.
The World Darts Championship is a highly anticipated event in the darts calendar, held annually in London's Alexandra Palace. Many fans of the sport and players from all over the world gather to witness the tournament.
Germany also has a strong presence in the world of darts. Despite lack of significant mentions in the article, it is important to note that Germany is a country with a competitive darts scene and has produced several top-ranked players in the past.
Source: www.stern.de
