Gabriel Clemens bows out of the World Darts Championship with his head held high: “I’ve shown I can compete with anyone”

On Sunday evening at the World Darts Championship in Alexandra Palace, Gabriel Clemens showed he still belongs in the sport’s upper tier. The German enjoyed a strong tournament and earned respect with solid performances, which ultimately ended against former world champion Luke Humphries. Despite the exit, Clemens left the stage with his head held high and renewed confidence.

The 41-year-old opened his Worlds with a convincing win over Alex Spellman (3-0 in sets). In the next round he impressed by defeating the much-hyped talent Wessel Nijman 3-0 in sets. With that, Clemens put himself back on the radar after having slipped from view a bit in recent months.

A tough assignment awaited in the third round against Luke Humphries. Clemens produced a high-quality display and, with an average of over 101 points, even set a German record average on the World Championship stage in London. Even so, the Englishman proved just a touch more clinical at the key moments.

“It was a very intense match,” Clemens said immediately afterwards to DAZN. “Right after a game like that it’s always difficult to give an interview, because you can only say the wrong things. But I do think I tried everything.”

Humphries made the difference early on with an exceptionally high checkout rate on doubles. Clemens saw it unfold but couldn’t stop it. “Luke Humphries hit everything on the doubles especially at the start,” he analyzed matter-of-factly. “Then it just becomes very difficult.”

A crucial moment followed midway through the match. Clemens battled back to 2-3 in sets and had three darts to level. It could have completely turned the contest on its head.

“I think I played a good match and was really in it,” he reflected. “It gets very interesting if I make it 3-3 there. Then I’m in Luke’s head and it can become a very crazy match at the end. But that didn’t happen.” That missed opportunity proved decisive. Humphries regrouped and struck when it mattered, snuffing out further German hopes.

The statistics underline that Clemens had little to reproach himself for. With a 101 average, a 50 percent doubles rate, and nine maximums, he delivered a performance that stands out even at this level. He did acknowledge he didn’t find his rhythm immediately. “I don’t know exactly why that was,” he admitted. “If I knew, I’d do it differently.” Clemens said he had prepared well and felt physically and mentally fine.

Although the elimination against Humphries inevitably brought disappointment, Clemens is left mostly with a positive takeaway. His display in London confirmed to him that he is still competitive against the absolute elite. “The only thing I really take from this,” he concluded, “is that I showed I can still keep up with every player in the world.”