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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mary Clarke

A near-perfect leg of darts at the 2023 World Darts Championship had Twitter going bonkers

If you didn’t think a sport like darts could be exciting, think again!

On Tuesday, the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship held its final between England’s Michael Smith and Netherlands’ Michael van Gerwen, a rematch of the championship match from 2019. Van Gerwen held a 1-0 set lead — needing to win seven to win the championship — when something extraordinary happened in the third leg of the second set.

If you aren’t aware of how professional darts work, both players start at 501 with the goal to hit zero before your opponent. The fewest number of darts to hit 501 is nine and both van Gerwen and Smith were on pace to score a nine-darter in this leg.

While van Gerwen missed on his ninth dart — the DRAMA! — Smith’s aim was true as he made just the second nine-darter in a World Championship final! 

While I don’t understand the full intricacies of darts, I love everything about this. The disbelief from the announcers, the wild reaction of the fans, and even the camera cuts made for some incredible drama. This, my friends, is what sports is about!

Twitter, especially, had a field day with the near-perfect leg of darts and the skill on display from both Smith and van Gerwen for putting on performances of a lifetime.

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