Darts Luke Humphries
When the world champion talks about his depression, his mother starts to cry
Status: 04.01.2024 | Reading time: 3 minutes
Thrilling final against Littler – Humphries is crowned world champion
Luke Humphries stopped 16-year-old Luke Littler’s sensational run in the World Cup final and was crowned world champion for the first time. In a thrilling duel, “Cool Hand Luke” particularly impressed with his excellent scoring.
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Luke Humphries suffered from panic attacks and was thinking about quitting just six years ago. Now the 28-year-old is world champion. In the first interview after his victory, he speaks openly about this difficult time – and addresses moving words to his family.
The decisive day came in 2018 at the German Darts Open. Luke Humphries was leading 5-2 in his second round match against James Wade and suffered a panic attack. As is so often the case, he was suddenly and unexpectedly struck by a fear of a heart attack, which was unfounded from a cardiological point of view. The then 23-year-old lost his match 5:6 and then made a decision: the only way to overcome his psychological problems and save his promising career after many successes in the youth sector and on the development tour was to go public .
Almost six years later, millions of people around the world watched him ascend the darts throne in London’s Alexandra Palace. With strong nerves and confidence, Humphries secured the title of world champion; the day before he had already become the new number one in the world rankings.
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The problems that plagued him in the first 18 months after starting on the professional tour, when anxiety and depression overshadowed his enjoyment of his sport, are now a thing of the past thanks to intensive treatment. The talent prevailed thanks to medical help and open interaction. After Michael Smith last year, he is now the second youth world champion to also triumph at the big level.
“They said back then that you couldn’t go on the big stages.”
“You are such a huge inspiration,” said Sky reporter Abigail Davies, who conducted the winning interview with Humphries on darts’ biggest stage. They talked about the final, other goals, but surprisingly also about his illness. “Five or six years ago we were talking about it and you told me then that you couldn’t go on the big stages,” said Davies. The fact that the 31-year-old even brought up the topic was surprising at first. As a sufferer, she has been working to remove taboos surrounding eating disorders for years and speaks as openly as Humphries about her illness.
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It was a fitting and worthy moment to take a look back, as it made Humphries’ first World Cup title shine even brighter than it already did, as he himself later confirmed. “Yeah, that makes it even more incredible for me. There was a time in my life when I was depressed. At the time I thought that was it for me, I couldn’t go to the big stages. I’ve been through a lot of problems. The fact that I am now number one and world champion proves a lot and says a lot about my mental abilities,” he explained, and the camera caught his parents, mother Humphries crying.
Luke Humphries kisses his partner Kayley Jones after the World Cup triumph
Quelle: Getty Images/Tom Dulat
Then he looked down at the audience himself. There, where his family and also friend Ryan Searle, number 20 in the Order of Merit, stood and watched their favorite’s victory: “I want to thank my family, my mom and my dad, who took me everywhere so that I can stand here today,” said Humphries, who left open whether he meant trips to tournaments or doctors, but he wasn’t finished yet: “My unique partner Kayley is here with my stepdaughter Grace and our son. These are the people who made me who I am. As much as I did to win this title, I couldn’t have done it without them.”
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