Darts professional injured while dancing before the match
Dirk van Duijvenbode bites his teeth. The darts professional injured himself during the traditional walk on
What: PDC Darts
Game at home, a sold-out arena, deafening music: Dirk van Duijvenbode is flooded with adrenaline. The Dutch darts professional jumps wildly across the stage before his match. With painful consequences. But van Duijvenbode shows a great fighting spirit.
Dhe pyro fountains sprayed glittering sparks, Dutch hardstyle roared from the speakers. When the bass really started pounding, Dirk van Duijvenbode started to jump. However, the dance routine of the 30-year-old darts professional ended abruptly, while the bass continued to echo through the hall.
The local hero injured his ankle during his walk-on at the European Tour tournament in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. In the last match of the second day, van Duijvenbode entered the hall to his warm-up song “Glimpse Of The Future” by DJ Typhoon.
Visibly euphoric by 4,000 cheering fans, “The Titan” – as it was called – began to jump into the air on stage. On landing, van Duijvenbode unfortunately twisted his ankle and suddenly lay on the ground with a pained face. The ankle didn’t want to bounce anymore.
But the Dutch titan could not be stopped. The fallen hero of the crowds scrambled to his feet, danced on one leg and then dueled Dylan Slevin. Although the limping van Duijvenbode was clearly in pain, he still won 6:5 against the Irishman and made it into the round of 16 of the tournament. The Dutchman then hopped on one leg again in front of the audience.
Schindler meets van Gerwen
“It’s well known that Damon Heta has been doing great walk-ons lately,” said van Duijvenbode in an interview after the match about the Australian professional, who is known for his show performances. “But he can’t top that.” The Dutchman then gave the all-clear. “I think it’s not that bad.” It’s an old injury that has broken out again.
In Leeuwarden, a German, Martin Schindler, also reached the round of 16. Schindler defeated Roman Benecky from the Czech Republic 6:4 and meets Michael van Gerwen on Sunday. The world number three from the Netherlands previously won in the second round 6:2 against the German number 1 Gabriel Clemens.