Motomu Sakai’s walk-on song as World Darts Championship breakout star | Other | Sport

Motomu Sakai is seemingly the new people’s champion at the Alexandra Palace. The Japanese debutant wasted no time in getting the crowd on his side before his match with Frenchman, Thibault Tricole, with an energetic walk-on that couldn’t stop anyone from cracking a smile.

That enthusiasm translated into his performance at the oche, as he stunned Tricole with a 3-0 victory to book his spot in the second round. The walk-on is what set the tone for the match, with his choice of song, Ojamajo Carnival!, being explained after his victory.

Speaking to the press, Sakai said on his walk-on music: “It’s from anime. It’s a sorcerer who has special powers. Power special!” The anime itself is called Ojamajo Doremi, a show that surrounds a group of girls who become apprentices with special powers.

Sakai was the outsider for his match against Tricole, with the Frenchman sitting as the No.61 in the rankings. However, the character he showed in that pre-match walk-on meant that he had the whole Ally Pally crowd firmly behind him throughout.

Having taken the first set, belief had grown and the debutant took charge of the match, even if the Ally Pally wasp had plans of putting him off! The real sliding doors moment came in the second leg, with Tricole putting up a fight to make it 2-2 on legs, but missing out on the opportunity to level the score.

Instead, Sakai ran away with it, taking the 3-0 win and booking a match against Andreas Harrysson – who completed a surprise of his own with a win against Ross Smith. He will surely have the crowd on his side again, having given his thanks to them in his post-match press conference.

He said: “I could hear everything, all of the support behind me. It gave me a lot of power. Thank you very much.”

The dancing and showmanship are something which the World Darts Championship has become known for, as plenty of characters from around the world come to enjoy themselves. Just this year alone we’ve seen the likes of Paul Lim and David Munyua capture plenty of attention from the crowd.

For Sakai, his dancing is certainly enjoyable, but it seemingly helps him get the results he wants, as well. He said: “I believe the more I dance, the more my darts fly well.”

That was certainly the case in the first round, and he may need some more of that when it comes to his second round match. Harrysson will be a challenge, but one he is willing to take on, as Sakai added: “I am ready for him.”