Darts star nearly died before World Championship while rival is an NHS manager | Other | Sport

The World Darts Championship is upon us as Luke Littler prepares to defend his inaugural title against all challengers. The Nuke secured his first-ever World Championship crown by defeating Michael van Gerwen and will be determined to repeat that success this time round. Nevertheless, numerous players are hoping to crush those aspirations.

Stars such as Luke Humphries, Nathan Aspinall, Van Gerwen and countless others are plotting to claim the silverware this season. There will also be several outsiders fancying their chances of seizing the crown. Here, Express Sport has explored the backgrounds of some lesser-known arrows aces at Ally Pally this year…

James Hurrell – ‘Hillbilly’

Hurrell battled a twisted bowel prior to his Worlds debut in 2024, which nearly ended far more than just his darts career.

The Englishman said: “I just want to say thank you to the surgeon that operated on me. I didn’t think I’d be here to be fair, I was that close to dying. So all the hard work pays off. I had a twisted bowel and yeah, I don’t really want to go through it to be fair.”

Stowe Buntz – ‘Neon Nightmare’

American ace Buntz was determined he would maintain his day job as a crane manager in Virginia to prioritise family commitments. Speaking in 2023, he said: “Maybe in a couple of years I will look to become a professional dart player, but it’s not something I’m considering at this moment.

“I’ve got a 16-year-old daughter, a 14-year-old son, a 12-year-old stepdaughter, and a seven-year-old stepdaughter, so getting them through school and education is priority number one.”

However, the Neon Nightmare is now set to participate in his third World Darts Championship.

Jurjen van der Velde

Van der Velde, 23, is regarded as one of the most promising young talents on the darts circuit, aside from the standout Luke Littler. The former World Masters Open Youth champion has been playing darts since he was 12 and aims to emulate the Nuke’s success in the PDC.

Recently, the Dutchman faced some criticism at the UK Open following his loss to Nathan Aspinall, with one viewer suggesting his haircut was as poor as his double-throwing. In response, Van der Velde asked: “Do I have such a bad haircut?”

The youthful darts star will need to brace himself for plenty of heckling at the Ally Pally, particularly if he faces off against some of the tournament favourites.

David Munyua

The vet is poised to become the first Kenyan to compete at the World Darts Championship in 2025. Munyua caused quite a stir in the African qualifying tournament, overcoming opponents such as David Gaitho, Wilson Kaimenyi and former Worlds participant Cameron Carolissen to secure his place in his first major tournament.

David Davies

Davies will take a brief hiatus from his NHS area manager role in Wales to make his World Championship bow this year. The second-tier competitor has been juggling his professional duties with Challenge Tour appearances, utilising his annual leave to step up to the oche.

The Welshman has now successfully navigated the qualifying rounds and will venture to Alexandra Palace for the first time. The 40-year-old revealed: “Work have been really supportive, I’ve just had to use annual leave.

“I have used a few unpaid weeks here and there to go to different things. It’s just when you need annual leave for normal holiday stuff you’re running thin because you’ve used them all for darts.”

Mitsuhiko Tatsunami

Known as the ‘Japanese Stephen Bunting’, Tatsunami is preparing for his Alexandra Palace debut in December. The 52-year-old bears a resemblance to the 2014 world champion and earned his spot via the Steel Darts Japan Tour in November.

Following a 5-3 triumph over Nobuhiro Yamamoto in the final, he’s prepared to bid farewell to his employment at a darts establishment to take centre stage on the oche.

Xiaochen Zong – ‘The Pandaman’

Zong burst onto the World Championship scene at just 19 years old and has already etched his name in the record books. The 27-year-old became the first competitor to achieve a nine-dart finish in a PDC China televised tournament in 2023 and is regarded as one of China’s premier talents.

He has maintained his grip on the PDC China Premier League crown since 2023 and will be aiming to claim his maiden World Championship victory at Alexandra Palace.

Nitin Kumar – ‘The Royal Bengal’

Kumar is the most accomplished Indian darts player, having made his debut at the Worlds in 2019. The 40-year-old has been involved in the sport for over two decades, briefly stepping away when he relocated from Dubai to India before returning in 2005.

He claimed his first-ever set at the Ally Pally last year, but has yet to progress beyond the opening round of the tournament.

Ryusei Azemoto – ‘Perseus’

Azemoto spent many years competing solely in Japan and only announced his international ambitions in 2022. He made his Worlds debut last year, losing in the first round to Wesley Plaisier.

Starting his career at a tender age, the 30-year-old has enjoyed some success on the PDC Asian Tour, winning a title in September and clinching the Selangor Open earlier in May. However, he is still seeking his first major tournament victory and will be a formidable opponent at the Ally Pally.

Arno Merk

Many will be taken aback to see Merk participating in the Worlds after a six-year hiatus from darts, which began in 2017. The 33-year-old will make his debut at the Ally Pally after triumphing in the PDC Europe Super League in November.

This victory marked a remarkable comeback for the German, who transitioned from being one of the country’s most promising young talents to a forgotten star.

Paul Lim – ‘The Singapore Slinger’

Lim is set to make a comeback to the Ally Pally as the oldest darts player to ever step onto the oche. The 71-year-old famously scored the first-ever nine-darter in World Championship history back in 1990 when he was just 35 years old.

He now returns to the renowned tournament for the first time since 2022.

Adam Gawlas – Flawlas

Gawlas will be hoping to avoid a rematch with Luke Humphries at the Worlds, having previously been trounced by the former world number one in the World Youth Championship.

Flawlas, who started playing darts at the age of 17, suffered a 6-0 defeat against Cool Hand Luke in 2019 and aims to progress beyond the second round to surpass his last performance at the Ally Pally.

Andreas Harrysson – ‘Dirty Harry’

Harrysson  began his darts journey in 1999 but didn’t make his debut on an official tour until 2013. The 50-year-old Swede boasts a multitude of titles, including the PDC Challenge Tour and four gold medals at the WDF Europe Cup.

This will mark only his third appearance at the Ally Pally, having lost in the first round on both previous occasions in 2020 and 2022.