“Those comments are rubbish. 'This is completely wrong': Eric Clares ends Belgian darts year (very early) | Darts

“It may come as a surprise at this stage, but I look at 2023 very positively. Our compatriots have had some good results. Kim Huybrechts already won the floor championship in February. Dimitri van den Berg performed well at times, although he had a setback In the middle of the year. Mike De Decker has had a strong career and has made significant progress in the world rankings, and Mario Vandenbogaerde has also gained significant experience on the European Tour. “Dimitri is still in the top 16 and Kim is in the top 32. So there is little error.”

“Of course, that World Cup… (sighs) Those results are very disappointing. But you have to put that in context. I invite everyone to re-watch those matches. There were chances everywhere. This was a learning experience for Vandenbogaerde. The first world championship His with the PDC. He took the lead but missed three important darts that turned the match around. Van den Berg was 2-0 ahead, while Hempel almost threw his dart off the board. What was that? But “suddenly” he threw 151 and ran out of steam. Don't forget that Dmitry He had three darts. He missed, Humble didn't. Although that was actually a difference of millimeters from the last one, D6. Otherwise Dmitry might be thrown out of the game next.

And if you look at Mike's match, who missed the D6 by just a millimeter… that little bit of luck was missing. And then you read all kinds of comments calling them “petty.” But this is completely wrong. Darts is a sport with small margins. You have to play well, but luck often makes the difference. This could be the difference between Van den Berg's impressive World Cup performance last year and the four Belgians who won't make it to Christmas now.

“The only person who came home with high marks was Kim. He himself admitted that his throws were bad and that the run-up to the World Cup was not what it should have been. Everything has to be perfect on stage, otherwise the mill will start turning. And to think It means losing. Maybe that's why we're brought up as Belgians, if we compare it to the Dutch. We're very shy. The big mistake we make is that the best national players don't give each other enough victory. The rivalry is too big for that. In fact, you have to come together “Every week for a month before this tournament, you train and raise each other to a higher level, like in Holland. But this is utopia in Belgium.”

“We have to wish them a bit of luck in 2024. And by the way, there are a number of players who are excited to come out. With Andy Baetens in first place. His World Cup win was the highlight of the year in darts. He has outdone everyone. He is capable of doing With great things to come – Top 32 in the PDC would certainly be possible. He's very stable, if he can ease the pressure a little. But something is really coming. Brian Raman, for example, but also five 17-year-olds. Not They have the talent of Luke Littler at the moment, but they are also as good a hurler now as Luke Humphries or Michael Smith did at that age. We need to invest more in our youth work. We are doing that through the VTM 2 Darts Academy, but we must emphasize more that Darts could really be their future. Ten years ago, every kid wanted to be Ronaldo, and now you have kids who want to be darts players when they grow up. If I had a million euros, I would know where to invest…”