Michael Smith is the new darts world champion. Within a few weeks, the “Bully Boy” celebrates his second major title on the tour. The story of the 32-year-old is a very special one. From his beginnings to his recently overcome final curse.
No, this triumph wasn’t the greatest moment of his life, said Michael Smith in the first moment after the greatest triumph of his life. In an epic final at the Darts World Championship, the Englishman defeated his Dutch competitor Michael van Gerwen 7:4 in sets – and crowned himself darts champion for the first time. And not only that: Smith is now the new number one in the world, he replaces the “Iceman” Gerwyn Price, and for all eternity the winner of the best leg the darts world has ever seen and which will never be topped can.
The fact that Smith correctly places all of the events of the final evening in the legendary Alexandra Palace in his life, in second place, after the birth of his two sons, is as sympathetic as it is amazing. Because the “Bully Boy” had already lost two finals on the largest darts stage in the world and was struggling with a consuming final curse until a few weeks ago. Only at the Grand Slam did he gain the self-confidence to be able to win final duels at the most important tournaments. He had previously failed eight times in major finals. His pity was certain. But pity, this Smith didn’t want that.
For years he’s been a big, maybe the biggest talent on the tour. He trains a lot and scores on the board like no other. Last year, for example, he played more 180s (the highest shot with three arrows) than any of his competitors. He also holds 180 records in a game and a tournament. Both scored at the World Cup last year when he lost to Peter Wright in the final. Smith struggled to keep his nerve and reputation as a perennial talent. How well he managed that is underlined not only by the world title against van Gerwen, but also by the way in which he played this game against the top favourite. With 6:3 in the sets, he was already in the lead before MvG came back from a short break with fresh energy – and immediately shortened to 6:4. Smith was under pressure. Pressure that might have broken him just a year ago.
But Smith remained stable, he didn’t struggle, he refocused. A quality that he had shown again and again at this World Cup. For example in round three, when the German Martin Schindler was already threatened with 1: 3 in the sets – and then freed himself from the clutches of “The Wall”. With skill. However, he tried a lot of luck in the quarterfinals against Stephen Bunting. “The Bullet” scored Smith, which is almost unthinkable, to the ground, but messed up almost everything on the crucial doubles. Smith left all that behind – and now triumphed. Including the first and only nine-darter of the tournament. And what a brilliant and historic moment it was for the sport. First MvG slammed eight perfect darts into the board and then missed double 12 before Smith did better on double 12 – 17 of 18 perfect darts, that’s all. No more. And when he checked double eight to win at 11:24 p.m., he erupted.
The “Bully Boy” jumped unleashed across the stage and immediately ran into the audience to his family. The two little boys had become two rousing supporting actors. Again and again the world director caught them cheering on their father in mini jerseys. Roaring, trembling. As well as the Sid Waddell Trophy, Smith is also taking £500,000 in prize money back home to the farm. A bull will also graze there in the future, a dream that the 32-year-old cherishes. His nickname, which can be translated as bully or thug (which is completely misleading), comes from a time when he worked on a cattle ranch.
Smith has always worked his way through life, he has not completed his training. He wanted to be a carpenter, but on the day of the final exam, it is said, he skipped it to play a tournament. A decision for life. Another one out of my stomach. So he hadn’t started with the sport out of conviction, but out of boredom. As a 15-year-old, he broke his hip after a bicycle accident on the way to school, which resulted in 15 weeks on crutches. He grabbed the arrows, threw his first 180 – and chose the path to happiness. It went steeply uphill. In 2010 he knocked in the world elite for the first time, reached the top 32 at the UK Open, in 2013 he became youth world champion – fun fact: he is now the first youth champion to also become world champion in the “adult” category – and in 2014 he completely surprisingly threw the legend Phil Taylor in the 3rd round out of the World Championship. By now Smith was on the list of all experts.
But his path was paved with setbacks. Outstanding matches were followed by surprising failures. Smith didn’t get consistency in his game because he quarreled too often. His own perfectionism got in his way – until November 2022, when he won the Grand Slam. His opponent and buddy Nathan Aspinall predicted after the final loss that Smith would now dominate the sport. The scoring monster had awakened. A start has been made and the new champion himself has taken a liking to it: “I want to take over this sport but Michael is still here,” said Smith towards van Gerwen, who presented himself as a very fair loser. “Today it’s not about my missed chances, today it’s about congratulating Michael Smith. Well done, enjoy the moment,” said “Mighty Mike” after one of the best World Cup finals in history.