"Even our manager at the time burst into tears" - Ronny Huybrechts remarks career highlight as retirement looms

Ronny Huybrechts is putting an end to his career at the PDC after this year. The absolute highlight for the now 59-year-old Belgian was in 2013, when he reached the final of the World Cup of Darts alongside his brother Kim. That tournament had a very emotional edge to it.

Brothers Ronny and Kim Huybrechts began the 2013 World Cup of Darts with a special mission. "Our father had passed away a few months before that tournament," Kim told the podcast 'Double Top'. "His biggest dream was always to see us in action together at the World Cup of Darts. Unfortunately that didn't work out, but before that tournament started, Ronny and I agreed that we would play the World Cup of Darts as a tribute to our father."

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The Belgian pair finished second in the group stage (after Northern Ireland) and thus advanced to the knockout stage. There they successively defeated Australia, Croatia and Finland, so that the quasi unbeatable England of Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis awaited them in the final.

Kim Huybrechts together with brother Ronny reached the final of the 2013 World Cup of Darts

Fantasy tournament.

"It was a real fairy tale tournament," says Kim. "Everyone sympathized with us enormously, our wives had traveled with us and we also received a lot of support from the home front. Had we also won that final, it might even have ended up being filmed."

"A real emotional rollercoaster," Ronny describes the tournament. "Even our then manager Mac Elkin had tears in his eyes. That's how much it touched everyone;

After the tournament both brothers had to recover from the emotions. "When we got home we were both really tired. Only then did it dawn on us what we had accomplished and what kind of emotions it had caused."

Belgium eventually lost the final 4-1, Kim Huybrechts managed to provide the only Belgian point by winning his singles match 4-0 over Adrian Lewis.

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