“Everything I do is for my daughter, not for me” – Ryan Searle reflects on turning his World Darts Championship moment into awareness for visual impairment

Ryan Searle was one of the standout stories of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship. For years, “Heavy Metal” had been regarded as one of the most dangerous players on the Pro Tour, but sustained success on television had remained elusive.

That changed at the most recent World Championship, where Searle produced the best run of his career by reaching the semi-finals. One of the key factors behind that breakthrough on the biggest stage was a late change of equipment.

“I just felt like I probably wasn’t putting enough effort in on the board,” Searle admits in conversation with Harrows Darts. “The normal thing people do is change darts, so that’s what I did.”

Normally, Searle waits until after the turn of the year before making any material changes. This time, he broke with that habit. The new darts were never intended as a miracle solution, but rather as a mental reset.

“For you, it’s almost a mindset thing,” the interviewer suggested during the conversation. Searle agreed, adding that the change “seems to have worked out pretty well.”

That shift was immediately visible in his opening match against Chris Landman. It was not a spectacular performance, but it was exactly what Searle wanted: a controlled 3–0 win.

“It’s just not to lose, basically,” Searle said of that first-round mentality. “Whether you play badly or really well, you just want to get over the winning line. You don’t want to be losing that first game.”

That approach defined his entire tournament. Calm, measured, and without panic, Searle kept winning set after set.

“Something like that, yeah,” he said when the interviewer noted that he had gone 17 consecutive sets without dropping one.

Searle himself felt a clear difference. “I’m always quite laid-back when it comes to playing, but something just clicked in practice. I felt really good, and it doesn’t always come out on stage, but this time it did.”

That focus proved decisive, particularly because concentration has been a recurring weakness in the past. “One of my biggest weaknesses is losing focus and losing my head, and I was determined not to let that happen.”

That determination was most evident against Martin Schindler. The German, who had previously beaten Searle in a European Tour final, never truly got into the match.

“I was in no mood to be losing that game,” Searle said. “I didn’t really see it as revenge. I want to beat him in a final somewhere down the line to put it right.”

The semi-final against Luke Littler marked the deepest World Championship run of Searle’s career. Everything felt bigger, but he tried to stick to his usual routine.

“Obviously playing Luke is always a massive game,” Searle said. “I tried to treat it the same as any other match.”

It did not fully work. “I didn’t play my best, which gutted me, because I know I’ve got a lot more to give.” Still, Searle views the experience as an important learning moment. “I learned from that experience, and that’s the important thing.”

The tension arrived early. “I was hitting 180 after 180 backstage and thought I was really going to give him a game. Then I got on stage and felt tension creep into my arm. Once that happens and you notice it, it’s hard to shake.”

In hindsight, even the opening set mattered. “I was happy he gave me the first set, otherwise it could’ve been six-nil.”

The match did produce one unforgettable moment: Searle’s 170 checkout after Littler was on a nine-darter. “That’s basically the only thing I take from the game,” he said. The clip went viral. “The last time I looked, it was on four and a half million views. That’s mad.”

The World Championship spotlight extended beyond Searle’s on-stage performances. In interviews, he spoke openly about his involvement with the Cure ADOA Foundation, which supports research into autosomal dominant optic atrophy, a hereditary eye condition that Searle himself lives with.

“It’s something I struggle with myself,” he said. “I was only diagnosed recently, after my daughter was diagnosed. Everything I do is really for her, not for me.”

His motivation is clear. “If they can find a cure and help her, that would be fantastic. For myself, I’m probably too old now to be worrying about a cure. I’ve lived with it all my life and I don’t think I’ve done too bad.”

That message resonated widely. During the World Championship, Paddy Power blurred sponsor branding around the arena to raise awareness for the foundation and donated.

“They didn’t have to do that,” Searle said. “They’re a massive company.” The decision came at short notice. “I got a message the night before from Dave Allen at the PDC asking if I was alright with them blurring the signs. I said yes straight away. If it raises awareness, that’s what matters.”

According to the interviewer, Searle has since become a role model for people who may not have realised the extent of his visual impairment, or who believe they cannot play darts because of similar conditions. The message is simple but powerful: limitations do not have to be barriers.

Behind the scenes, further initiatives focused on awareness and inclusivity are already being discussed.

At the end of January, just days before the start of the Winmau World Masters, Searle turned his attention to the new season.

“I haven’t practiced loads since the Worlds, just ticking over,” he said. “From today onwards I’ll really start putting the effort back in and get back on the ball.”

He has deliberately avoided setting concrete goals. “I know I can do a lot of damage ranking-wise because I’m not defending anything, especially in the majors, for the next two years.”

That freedom matters. “It takes a little bit of pressure off. I’m probably not looking forward to defending £200,000 in a couple of years, but if you’ve won it, you’ve got to defend it. That’s part of the game.”

More important, however, is what he gained mentally at the World Championship. “With the focus and concentration I seem to have found on stage, I think I can do a lot more damage in the majors.”

The semi-final at Ally Pally was only the second major semi-final of his career, but it has clearly shifted his perspective.

“I don’t see any reason why I can’t keep doing that,” Searle said.