The man for German records in darts is: Gabriel Clemens. Two years ago, at the 2021 World Cup, Clemens was the first darts player in his country to reach the round of 16. At this year’s championship, he went one better by making it into the last eight on Friday – and now he created a sensation on New Year’s Day that nobody would have thought possible before this tournament. Clemens, called “German Giant” because of his impressive stature, overthrew the real giant, Gerwyn Price, the number one in the world, 5: 1 after sets and advanced to the semi-finals of the 2023 World Darts Championship.
Clemens only gave up the first set, which he immediately equalized. After that, the 39-year-old delivered a dart-throwing demonstration that his opponent had actually expected. He went up and away, set after set, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1 – and completed his work with a hit on double four. He then turned to face the audience, clenched his fists and dropped his other two arrows. The fans celebrated him frenetically, even opponent Price applauded the Gaga performance. Gaga is the nickname of Gabriel Clemens.
In the winning interview he was visibly struggling for words. “Thank you Germany!”, he said – the thanks were due to the many German supporters in Alexandra Palace in London, who had cheered him on. Next, he meets last year’s finalist Michael Smith (England) in the semifinals on Tuesday, who had previously defeated Stephen Bunting.
Clemens only gets upset when the PK is about the English translation of his original job
Clemens was first confronted with the effects of his new fame after his victory in the round of 16 this year over the Scotsman Alan Soutar. At the press conference, several international reporters questioned him in detail about his career. One wanted to know “for those who don’t know him yet” what he did before he started his professional career four years ago. The question actually upset Clemens, who otherwise could hardly be disturbed, for a moment. He pondered the correct translation of the profession “locksmith”, which he had pursued for 16 years, most recently at the Saar Waste Management Association. After a short period of reflection, he found the right wording: “Locksmith”.
As a semi-finalist, Clemens now has £100,000 in prize money secured, more than ever. In the world rankings, he should reach the top 20. But the Saarlander in particular delighted the German fans on Sunday evening. They sang: “Oh, Gabriel Clemens” and “Oh, how beautiful it is”.
When the set was equalized, a first cheer went through the arcade. At that point at the latest, Price should have realized that a walkthrough like in the first three rounds, when he only had to give up two sets, would not be repeated. With a slight shake of the head, the favorite acknowledged the break of the German, who was able to extend his lead to 3:1 despite a few failed attempts on the double fields, which ended a single leg. Eventually Price got so annoyed that he pulled large headphones over his ears – but that didn’t help either. Clemens just kept throwing confidently, in the end he had an average of 99.94 points per throw. Also that: German World Cup record.
