‘When THAT belongs to you’: Newly crowned world darts champion Michael Smith gushes over the Sid Waddell trophy and admits he stared at the prize ‘for seven hours’ in a sleepless night after beating Michael van Gerwen in epic Ally Pally final
Newly crowned world darts champion Michael Smith confessed that he stared at the Sid Waddell trophy ‘for seven hours’ during a sleepless night in his hotel room after claiming the prize at the Alexandra Palace on Tuesday.
Smith, who finished WDC runner up in both 2019 and 2021, finally lifted the coveted trophy after carving out an enthralling 7-4 victory against three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.
The 32-year-old darts star took to social media in the early hours of Wednesday morning to share a picture of the illustrious prize from his hotel room.
World champion Michael Smith admitted he stared at the Sid Waddell trophy for ‘seven hours’
Smith beat Michael van Gerwen 7-4 in an epic WDC final at the Alexandra Palace on Tuesday
The 32-year-old took to Twitter to post a picture of the coveted trophy from his hotel
Kicking his feet up in front of the television, Smith showcased the the Sid Waddell trophy from its cabinet and tweeted: ‘When that belongs to you’.
He admitted to talkSPORT on Wednesday morning that he had stared at it for ‘seven hours’ throughout the night in the wake of his stunning victory.
When asked if what he did after returning to his hotel room, Smith replied: ‘The bar was shut at 11, so when I got back I opened the cabinet with the trophy in and just started at it for about seven hours. It’ll be sleeping in the big bed with me now!’
Smith had to hold his nerve in the early stages as Van Gerwen made a strong start to the final, taking a 3-2 lead after the fifth set.
The pair produced one of the greatest legs in darts history to thrill the Alexandra Palace as Van Gerwen narrowly missed the chance to check out a nine-dart finish before Smith achieved the rare feat with his next three darts.
Having lost in the final to the Dutchman in 2019, the victor admitted it was a ‘huge relief’ to finally grasp the elusive trophy.
Smith, who upon throwing his match-winning dart ran straight to his family to celebrate, urged that Tuesday was also a win for his wife and children.
The newly crowned champion insisted that his triumph is also a ‘win’ for his supportive family
Smith ran straight over to his wife and kids to celebrate after throwing the match-winning dart
‘Finally getting over that line was a huge relief, it was something that I always knew I’d get. It’s hard to sum it up in words,’ he continued.
‘When I win, we all win – I do it for my kids and wife as well. We’ve worked so hard for this and to finally get it is amazing.
‘I’ll definitely be in a few people’s faces telling I’m the new world number one.
‘[My kids] are even more chuffed than I am, I thought they wouldn’t want to go to school today but they wanted to be in to tell everyone about it – all their friends, their teachers, everyone.’
