Darts star limped to the oche after injury during crazy drum-and-bass walk-on
Dirk van Duijvenbode’s walk-on during the 2023 Dutch Darts Championship was unintentionally memorable.
The 30-year-old was particularly animated before his opening game against Dylan Slevin.
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Dirk van Duijvenbode took a tumble on stage after some enthusiastic dance movesA home crowd can undoubtedly ignite passion in anyone, and Duijvenbode was visibly soaking in the electric atmosphere.
As his now-iconic drum-and-bass walk-on song, ‘Just Like You’, thundered through the venue, he delighted in the sight of the crowd pumping their fists in the air.
Once on stage, he shook hands with the officials, but his show was far from over; he turned around to wave to the crowd once more, reveling in their adoration.
With the music pulsating, Duijvenbode’s dancing reached new heights, much to the crowd’s absolute delight.
Read more here Then, in an unexpected moment of exuberance, he leaped into the air and tumbled backward onto his backside.
He quickly jumped back up, looking a little flustered, and then had to limp to the oche for the warm up.
Despite the unexpected tumble, Van Duijvenbode triumphed over Slevin 6-5, sealing the win with a stunning 129 checkout in the deciding leg.
He faced pressure at crucial moments, with Slevin holding the lead at 4-3 and 5-4. Yet, Van Duijvenbode showed true skill, leveling the score at 5-5.
After Slevin faltered with multiple missed attempts at a big treble, Van Duijvenbode seized the moment, returning to the oche for a match-winning 129, employing two double 18s.
Throughout the 2023 European Tour, he reached the quarter-finals at the Belgian Darts Open and the German Darts Open.
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van Duijvenbode was visibly soaking in the electric atmosphereHe also found himself as the runner-up at the 2023 European Darts Matchplay, falling just short in a breathtaking deciding leg 8–7 to Luke Humphries in the final.
Van Duijvenbode pushed through to the second round at the 2023 World Matchplay but faced struggles in the World Grand Prix, European Championship, Players Championship Finals, World Championship, and the 2024 UK Open, where victories eluded him.
In the 2023 Grand Slam of Darts, Van Duijvenbode finished his group stage in third place. He suffered a narrow loss in a deciding leg 5–4 to Gary Anderson in his opener, but bounced back with a 5–2 victory over Steve Lennon, only to be met with a 5–1 defeat to Luke Humphries.
His group stage performance at the Grand Slam saw Van Duijvenbode unable to break the 86 average mark in any of his three matches.
These early exits from various tournaments had a ripple effect on Van Duijvenbode’s ranking, resulting in heartbreak as he missed the cut for the 2024 World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, and the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts.
Yet, amidst the challenges, Van Duijvenbode found a silver lining, reaching a quarter-final on the European Tour at the 2024 Flanders Darts Trophy, which helped secure his place in the European Championship, where he also reached the quarter-finals.
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Dirk van Duijvenbode faced the likes of Luke Littler at the 2024 Dutch Darts MastersCredit: GettyDuring the 2024 PDC Players Championship series, Van Duijvenbode showed remarkable consistency, making it to the quarter-finals at Players Championship 4, the final at PC6 (in a gripping match where he lost 8–6 to Dave Chisnall), and the semi-finals at Players Championships 11 and 28.
These steady performances paved the way for Van Duijvenbode to qualify for the 2024 Players Championship Finals as the 23rd seed.
In the first round, he triumphed over 42nd seed Callan Rydz with an impressive 6–1 score. Van Duijvenbode then bested Florian Hempel 6–3 and Jermaine Wattimena 10–5, propelling him into the quarter-finals.
In a thrilling deciding leg, Van Duijvenbode defeated Connor Scutt 10–9 to secure his first semi-finals appearance at the Players Championship Finals.
Darts star collapses to the floor following shock win despite huge miscount mistake
