Erik Clarys underwent no less than 12 surgeries on right arm: "But in retrospect, it was all against my better judgment"

Erik Clarys is still considered one of the best darters Belgium has ever produced. However, he had to end his career abruptly in 2006.

Clarys fell from a ladder while working and broke his right arm (throwing arm) in several places. "At the time, however, I wasn't in a lot of pain right away. But on the way to the hospital, they had to give me an injection, because I couldn't take it anymore," Clarys says in the podcast 'Double Top'.

"Still, the seriousness of the situation did not immediately dawn on me. I thought I would be able to throw again within three weeks. But three weeks later, I had already undergone five operations. My arm kept dislocating, so they referred me to a specialist. That's when I did realize it wasn't good."

Eventually Clarys ended up with a top surgeon with experience in the USA. "He looked for solutions, a true professional. I had seven more operations, but in hindsight against my better judgment. I produce a tremendous amount of calcium, but not in the joint where it needed to be."

Still, Clarys doesn't know if he would have reached the same level if the surgery had been successful. "For me that physical labour during work was very important, precisely because of that I reached a high level in darts. If I hadn't been allowed to do that work, I don't know if I would have been the same player. You also see that with Jonny Clayton, since he stopped working it is all just a bit less. The routine is also falling away, that all plays into it."