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Raymond van Barneveld is back where he should be, at the World Darts Championship. The five-time world champion retired from the sport two years ago, but returned on his decision this year. And there was no stopping on Monday: 3-0 against Lourence Ilagan.
Vincent Van Genechten
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The 54-year-old Dutchman wanted to shine one more time at the World Cup in 2019, but was eliminated in the first round by the American Darin Young. “I will never forgive myself for this elimination in my retirement year. I will never love myself,” he said at the time.
But nine months later, Van Barneveld came back and on Monday evening he took on the Filipino Lourence Ilagan, the number 125 in the world. His entrance could be there. On the tones of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ he got the crowd present in the Alexandra Palace on his hands.
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From then on it was already ‘Barney’ that struck the clock. The darts player from The Hague quickly took the first two sets, with a finish of 121 in set two.
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The fickle Ilagan was clearly impressed by the circumstances, his opponent and the ecstatic crowd. The Filipino was also unable to make a fist in set three and was thus played home by Van Barneveld 3-0. A confrontation with Rob Cross, the 2018 world champion, awaits him in the second round.
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