Gerwyn Price has spent "18 of the last 24 hours in bed" following sickness that left him unable to move

Welsh darts star and former PDC World Champion Gerwyn Price has recently been unable to leave his bed following an illness that left him unable to move, forcing him to withdraw from an exhibition in Belgium.

Price has spoken about his illness, claiming he spent “18 of the last 24 hours in bed” as he looks to bounce back from his recent sickness. As a result of this illness, Price was replaced by a 13-year-old darts prospect named Lex Paeshuyse. Whilst Price, who is 40 years old, offers slightly different credentials than the young and inexperienced Paeshuyse, there is no doubt the entertainment factor of watching the world’s best—like Michael van Gerwen—compete against a 13-year-old is equally as exciting.

Lex Paeshuyse has been impressive on the Youth Tours in recent times, earning tournament victories at the 2024 World Masters, JDC World Championship, and JDC Belgian Championship.

After announcing that Price would no longer be attending the event, the tournament organisers would go on to release a statement:

"Last night, we received word from Gerwyn Price that he has recently fallen ill. As a result, he unfortunately had to cancel his participation in the tournament in Austria and will also be unable to attend tonight".

"We immediately began searching for a worthy replacement with international appeal. However, this proved to be no easy task: many top players we contacted were already committed to other tournaments or had media obligations".

"Nonetheless, we made a special decision. We already have a world champion in our midst, someone who has won several tournaments this year. That’s why we chose to place our trust in youth".

"We are proud to announce that none other than Lex Paeshuyse will replace Gerwyn Price".

"For Lex, this will be his very first appearance in a tournament of this level, where he will face the very best in the world. A young player to watch, and a talent we as Belgians can be especially proud of".

Moving forward, Gerwyn Price will be hoping to feel good for the US Darts Masters in New York City next week. After sharing some pictures of himself tucking into some food on Instagram, there appear to be promising signs for his involvement in the PDC’s showpiece American event.

The crossover event sees eight of the PDC’s best face off against the finest North America has to offer in a knockout event at the legendary Madison Square Garden. Gerwyn Price has always been a player for the big occasion and will definitely be hoping to make his mark on the stage in America.