The fans celebrated Stephen Bunting, he easily won his second round game at the Darts World Championship. Nevertheless, an emotional incident occurred after the success. The Englishman suddenly burst into tears.
He played well, safely and confidently achieved his second success at the Darts World Championship. The fans celebrated him from the first second, even though he was facing an exotic person on stage.
And the 3-0 win against India’s Nitin Kumar was more than a must-win in terms of sport. Stephen Bunting played an average of 94.11 points. His success rate of 52.9 percent on the doubles fields is nothing short of excellent.
An all-round successful evening for the world number four, especially since the favorites had been knocked out of the tournament in the previous matches: Dirk van Duijvenbode, Dave Chisnall, Michael Smith, Chris Dobey – all out. “The standard is getting better every year. It’s the best field there’s ever been here,” Bunting quickly explained.
The media conference after his victory seemed like just a second formality of the evening for him. At times he had a frog in his throat, which he successfully fought off with a sip of water. There were no unpleasant questions after his match.
Bunting was just sketching out his successful life. He is happy about growing his social media followers, has the best family and great sponsors. And he was always there for his fans and remained normal. Success hasn’t changed him. He is always available for a chat, for example in the supermarket.
“But it’s a lonely place up there on stage,” he continued: “and when things aren’t going right, you can look at your family, your management or the sponsors, but in the end it’s all about you. I’m glad I’m emotional, but…”
Bunting broke off and said no more. And after a few seconds it became clear why he had no words: big tears rolled down from his eyes. The media conference was interrupted. He cried uncontrollably, but indicated that he wanted to finish the interviews.
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After a minute and a half he apologized and answered the questions as if nothing had happened. “Everything is rosy in the garden,” he clarified – everything is fine. Really? It was a disturbing image.
It was later heard from those around him that there had been some negative comments on social networks. Bunting, who likes to portray himself as “The People’s Champion” and never tires of spreading his “Bunting Mental” claim, was ridiculed for overusing the term and, above all, for having elevated himself to the throne of the audience’s favorite.
He said he would now enjoy Christmas and time with his family. With mint pies and turkey – and then hopefully return to Alexandra Palace rested and fresh: “My opponents will see how good I am in the next few weeks.”
Darts World Cup 2026, results, 2nd round
- Ryan Searle (ENG/20) – Brendan Dolan (NIR) 3:0 (3:1, 3:0, 3:1)
- Andreas Harrysson (SWE) – Motomu Sakai (JPN) 3:0 (3:2, 3.1, 3:2)
- Dirk van Duijvenbode (NED/29) – James Hurrell (ENG) 2:3 (3:1, 0:3, 1:3, 3:1, 1:3)
- Dave Chisnall (ENG/21)
- Michael Smith (ENG/28) – Niels Zonneveld (NED) 1:3 (1:3, 3:1, 2:3, 0:3)
- Chris Dobey (ENG/8) – Andrew Gilding (ENG) 1:3 (3:2, 0:3, 1:3, 2:3)
- Stephen Bunting (ENG/4) – Nitin Kumar (IND) 3:0 (3:1, 3:0, 3:1)
If Lutz Wöckener Not exactly trying out any sport on his own, he writes about darts and sports politics, but sometimes also about offbeat things like football.
