Were it not for clearing out a room as a teenager, Mike De Decker may never have been bitten by the darts bug.
The 28-year-old became the second Belgian alongside Dimitri Van den Bergh to win a darts major as he dethroned Luke Humphries 6-4 to win the World Grand Prix on Sunday.
De Decker stunned the darts world to win the World Grand Prix on SundayGetty
Despite the match being De Decker’s first major televised final, he showed remarkable coolness under pressure to land the biggest victory of his career.
However, had it not been for his step father and the need to declutter the family home as a teen, De Decker’s triumph may have never arrived.
“It’s kind of funny because I never really liked darts until I was 17,” De Decker told talkSPORT.
“We had to clean up a room when at home and there was a dart board. I asked my step dad what it was and he kind of told me the basics and that’s how I got into it.
“He played 25 years ago but then stopped because he had his own business. 12 or 13 years ago, he wanted to start playing again but he didn’t want to go alone. I said, ‘You know what, give me a set of darts and I’ll go, so you don’t have to go alone.’ That’s where it started.”
Given budding superstar Luke Littler’s success having made the World Championship as a 16-year-old, it paints De Decker’s late start and subsequent success in an interesting light.
Few would have picked De Decker as a chance to win before the tournament, with the likes of Humphries, Littler and Michael van Gerwen all tipped ahead of him.
But the Belgian channelled the underdog energy throughout his entire run and he credited that backs-against-the-wall mentality for his sparkling run to victory.
“Yeah, it (being an underdog) definitely did (help),” De Decker said.
“I wasn’t the favourite against Gary (Anderson), I wasn’t the favourite against Damon Heta in my first round, not against (James) Wade.
De Decker is in fine form this yearGetty
“They have been around for a long, long time, so I knew what I had to do. I just relaxed. It’s the first time I was really, really relaxed on stage and been able to play my game.”
De Decker chose the perfect time to get over his nerves as he conceded they have ‘always been a problem’ in his game.
The Belgian’s victory at the World Grand Prix continued his career-best year having won his first PDC Players Championship event and enjoyed a run to the fifth round of this year’s UK Open.
With the pinnacle of darts, the World Championship, only a couple months away, De Decker may have timed his run of form to perfection.
So, can the 28-year-old cause an almighty shock at the Alexandra Palace and win the World Championship?
“Maybe,” De Decker replied.
“I kind of caused an upset this week, so why not there?”
But before De Decker can dream about more successful nights at the oche in London, he has a few more Players Championship events to worry about, beginning with one on Tuesday in Wigan.
