World Darts: Player Apologizes for Breakdown After Family Loss

He damaged his main working tool: his hand. This Monday, during the first round of the World Darts at Alexandra Palace in London, Scotsman Cameron Menzies completely lost his footing. Beaten by the young Charlie Manby (163rd), the 26th player in the world lost his temper at the end of the match and delivered several big punches to his desk, completely opening his right hand.

The image is striking. After first putting his hand on the firework to extinguish it, the quarter-finalist of the Grand Slam 2024 gave three shots under the table where his water bottle and darts were placed. With his hand bleeding and pushed by a referee, he then quickly left the stage, not without congratulating his opponent and sending a small gesture of apology to the audience.

“I would like to apologize for what happened, I’m sorry for reacting like that,” said the Scot a few minutes later. This isn’t an excuse, but I’ve had a lot on my mind recently and it’s become too much. I have been going through a difficult time since the death of my uncle Gary. I saw him four days before he died and his look showed me everything he thought of me. If I had beaten Charlie, my 2nd match would have been on the day of his funeral and I missed that. »

Despite this drama, Cameron Menzies recognized that this gesture was inappropriate. “This is not an excuse for what I did on stage,” he repeated. It was the wrong thing to do and I don’t want to take anything away from Charlie, he played very well. Yes, I can get emotional at times, but not like this. »

Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.

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