FORGOTTEN DARTERS: Leo Laurens the first Belgian to reach BDO World Championship Quarter-Finals

In this column, we regularly reminisce about Forgotten Darters from the past. Today is the turn of Leo Laurens from Belgium who caused a stir at the 1997 BDO World Championship.

Born in 1952 in Itegem, Belgium, Laurens first made his mark in 1988 when he won the Belgium Gold Cup. The following year, he was allowed to participate in the BDO World Championship for the first time. At the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, however, he immediately lost 3-1 in the first round against American Rick Ney.

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Belgian champion

Later that year, Laurens became Belgian Champion for the first time, a title he would claim twice more afterwards. A year later he qualified for the BDO World Championship again. This time he managed to survive the opening round by beating Canadian Bob Sinnaeve 3-2. In the second round, he lost 3-1 to Mike Gregory.

1990 was the best year of his career. Laurens won no less than three major tournaments with the Dutch Open, Antwerp Open and French Open. In 1992 he won the Dutch Open for the second time, but it would take until 1994 before he could make his appearance again at the BDO World Championship. However, the second round was again the ending point after he lost 3-0 to the Swede Magnus Caris.

Sensation at the 1997 World Championship

In 1996 Laurens immediately lost in the opening round of the BDO World Championship against Raymond van Barneveld, but a year later he caused a sensation at the same World Championship. After easily beating Welshman Ritchie Davies 3-0 in the opening round, he wiped out ex-world champion Ritchie Burnett in the second round to everyone's surprise. The Welshman didn't stand a chance against 'The Lion of Antwerp' losing 3-0. In the quarter-finals, a real thriller occurred against Steve Beaton, with 'The Bronzed Adonis' going onto win 4-3.

Laurens was the first Belgian ever to reach the quarter-finals at the BDO World Championship. An achievement that was subsequently equaled by Erik Clarys (2003) and Geert De Vos (2017) and was only improved in 2020 when Mario Vandenbogaerde reached the semi-finals.

After his quarter-final place at the 1997 World Championship, Laurens, plagued by injuries, slowly disappeared from the foreground. He is still seen as one of the best Belgian darts players ever.