Mensur Suljovic once destroyed his own watch with a passionate celebration before he had even won the match.
The bizarre incident occurred during his second clash with Florian Hempel at the 2021 European Championship.
Suljovic was involved in a back-and-forth encounter with his German opponent in the best of 19 legs match.
However, the home favourite was able to move within a leg of victory in Salzburg, Austria by pinning double 16 to take a 9-6 lead.
After finding the double, Suljovic released his emotions by punching his left hand.
The force of his celebration proved too much for the Gentle’s wristwatch, though, as it pinged off his arm and onto the floor.
It ultimately broke the watch as Suljovic was forced to place it on his table for the remainder of the match.
Without his timepiece, he almost threw away the victory as Hempel launched a spirited fightback.
After losing the next three legs, Suljovic eventually edged out the last leg decider to seal a narrow 10-9 victory.
His explosive celebration was a far cry from the tame nature of the Austrian’s nickname.
The fan-favourite even previously owned a pub in Vienna called ‘The Gentle’.
Unfortunately for Suljovic, his European Championship hopes were ended in the next round.
He was beaten 10-7 by Joe Cullen in their quarter-final clash, with Rob Cross instead going on to win the event.
Suljovic had been the second seed at the tournament after reaching the final of the Gibraltar Darts Trophy earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, his appearance in Salzburg followed a maiden run to the final of the World Cup of Darts.
Alongside teammate Rowby-John Rodriguez, the pair beat the Philippines, Belgium, Northern Ireland and England on their run.
However, they ultimately defeated by Scottish duo Peter Wright and John Henderson in the final.
Suljovic and Rodriguez reached the final once again last year, but were beaten by England’s Luke Humphries and Michael Smith.
The 53-year-old remains on the PDC Tour despite dropping down the rankings in recent years.
He revealed in December he had taken time away from darts to look after his brother, explaining: “I’ve had really personal problems in the last few years. My brother was seriously ill and I took care of him – I was always with him. That was a very, very difficult time for me.
“Unfortunately, he passed away last year at the age of 55. Thank God we spent a lot of time together in the last few years.
“We did everything we could, but unfortunately it didn’t help. But as stupid as it sounds, I have to say that I’m more liberated now. Now I have time for myself, now I can concentrate on darts.”
The 2017 Champions League winner is currently ranked 63rd in the PDC Order of Merit.
