Smith vastberaden om WK-titel terug te winnen

Michael Smith heeft zijn honger voor het winnen van titels herontdekt voorafgaand aan het Paddy Power World Darts Championship.

Smith vervulde zijn dartsdroom met een sensationele overwinning in de WK-finale van 2023. Hij versloeg Michael van Gerwen met 7-4 om zijn eerste WK-titel te winnen in het Alexandra Palace.

De man uit St. Helens gooide in die finale ook een spectaculaire negen-darter, bekend als de beste leg in de geschiedenis van de sport.

Door dit succes werd Smith in januari 2023 de nieuwe nummer één van de wereld, maar een jaar later werd deze positie overgenomen door de huidige nummer één Luke Humphries toen hij zijn wereldtitel won.

SMITH: “The World Championship is the pinnacle.

This is what you work all year for – from January 4 leading up to December 15 – this is what everyone wants, and what everyone wants to win!

Darts is only getting bigger, and to be at the front of that as a former World Champion is a nice feeling, but I don’t want to be a former World Champion anymore!

I want to get my World Championship back and I want to be a defending champion again!”

Smith speelde nog in twee andere WK-finales voordat hij zijn titel won. Hij verloor in 2019 van Van Gerwen, voordat hij drie jaar later van Peter Wright verloor.

SMITH: “I went there and I was always the bridesmaid.

I lost in the final in 2019 and 2022 – I definitely could have won against Peter [Wright], but thankfully I came back and won it a year later.

I think that’s where the downfall began - the determination drops a little bit because I finally got my hands on that title.

Over the last few months I have thought: ‘I can still win more’. I have got to start getting that fight and determination back, and it’s starting to come now.”

Smith won geen ranking TV-titel meer sinds hij het WK won, maar hij wist in juni wel nog de World Cup of Darts te winnen voor Engeland, samen met Humphries.

De 34-jarige behaalde ook de runner-uppositie op de World Series of Darts Finals in september en haalde de halve finales van de Premier League en World Matchplay.

SMITH: “It’s been a mixed year for me.

Obviously winning the World Cup [with Humphries] was unreal. I’m disappointed that I only won one ProTour, but I got a major title and a ProTour under my belt.

Some years I would have been happy with that, but since winning the World Championship my expectations are a lot higher.”

Smith is op TV niet meer verder gekomen dan de laatste zestien sinds de World Series Finals, maar hij is zelfverzekerd om deze vorm weer om te draaien in de Engelse hoofdstad.

SMITH: “The hard times will blow over. I have proved that over the years, especially after winning the World Championship and becoming world number one.

I am just going through one of those periods, but I’ve come out of it before and I’ve managed to shine again.

I have learnt that I have got the resilience to put up with the difficult questions, the difficult matches, the tough losses, and things do change.

Next year will be my 17^th season with the PDC. It is literally half my life I’ve spent here!

The best is still yet to come. I’ve been there or thereabouts every single year I’ve been playing, and I want to do what [Michael] Van Gerwen did and dominate the sport for years.

It would be hard, especially with the calibre of players we have now, but I want to be picking up more TV titles every single year, and I believe I can still do that.”