Darts is booming in Germany because of Clemens: ''He deserves a statue''

Max Hopp, still the hope of darts Germany some ten years ago, enjoyed the performance of new German hero Gabriel Clemens at the World Darts Championship.

'The German Giant' managed to reach the semifinals at Alexandra Palace to everyone's surprise by beating world number one Gerwyn Price, among others, in the final.

''Clemens' semi-final place created hype. It was brilliant. I don't know anyone who didn't watch the match against Gerwyn Price. My whole family sympathized, while soccer players, handball players and people from other sports were all equally interested,'' Hopp told Sport1.

According to the former junior world champion, Clemens should be honored in his home state of Saarland. ''He has earned a statue. Maybe next to Johannes Vetter (German javelin thrower), who is also doing a great job. It's fantastic to see what Clemens has unleashed for darts in Germany.''

According to Hopp, Clemens could even have become world champion at the last world championship. ''I don't think he was far off. He played great in the semifinals. If 'Bullyboy' had played a few percent worse and Clemens had taken advantage of his chances, he might have gone to the final. And anything is possible in a final. We'll see if Clemens can show it again in the next few years. In any case, he has the potential,'' Hopp concluded.