Erik Clarys does not despair despite Belgian World Championship debacle: "Lots of talent on the way"

Belgium started this year's World Darts Championship with a record four participants, but none managed to get past the second round.

Despite these disappointing performances, Erik Clarys, a former World Championship participant himself, looks back on the past year with satisfaction. "Our compatriots have had a few good results. Kim Huybrechts won a floor tournament back in February. Dimitri Van den Bergh performed handsomely at times, although he suffered a setback halfway through the year. Mike De Decker had a strong run and made a solid advance in the rankings, and Mario Vandenbogaerde gained a lot of experience on the European Tour. Dimitri is still in the top sixteen and Kim in the top 32. Then there is little wrong," Clarys told HLN.

"Of course, that World Championship... (sighs) Those results are thickly disappointing. But you have to put that in context. I invite everyone to revisit those matches. There were opportunities everywhere. For Vandenbogaerde this was a learning experience. His first World's at the PDC. He got ahead but missed three important arrows, which tipped the match. Van den Bergh was leading 2-0, while Hempel almost threw his arrows out of the board. What was that? But 'out of the blue' that threw out a 151, and he got some steam. Remember, Dimitri had three matchdarts. He missed, Hempel didn't. Although that really made a millimeter difference on that last one, D6. Otherwise Dimitri might throw out after that for the match."

"And then when you look at Mike's game, just missing that D6 by a millimeter.... That touch of luck was missing," Clarys continued. "And then you read all the comments afterwards, that they are 'tinkers.' But that's totally wrong. Darts is a sport of small margins. You have to play well, but luck often makes the difference. That is perhaps the difference between that thumper of a performance by Van den Bergh at the World Championship last year, and the four Belgians who now fail to make Christmas."

"The only one who really played home by heavy numbers was Kim. Who admitted himself that he threw badly, and that the run-up to the World Championship was not as it should have been. On stage, everything has to be right, otherwise the grinder starts turning. And thinking, that's losing. Maybe it's in our upbringing as Belgians, if you compare it to the Dutch. We are too timid."

Clarys sees another cause for the poor World Championship performance. "The big mistake we make is that our top national players don't grant each other enough victory. The rivalry is too great for that. In fact, a month before such a tournament you have to meet weekly, practice and lift each other to a higher level, like they do in the Netherlands. But that is a utopia in Belgium."

Still, according to Clarys, Belgium should not despair. "There are some players eager to make their appearance. With Andy Baetens in first place. His World Championship victory was the darts highlight of the year. He outclassed everyone. He is capable of great things in the future - top 32 in the PDC should definitely work. He is very stable, if he can keep the pressure off. But there is really something coming. Brian Raman, for example, but also about five 17-year-olds. They don't have the talent of a Luke Littler now, but they are really throwing as well as Luke Humphries or Michael Smith did at that age. We need to invest more in our youth ministry. With the VTM 2 Darts Academy we are doing that, but we need to emphasize even more that darts really can be their future. Ten years ago every kid wanted to be Ronaldo, now you have kids who want to be darts later. If I had a million euros, I would know where to invest..."