"I don't know the timeline, but I'm gonna say 10 years": Wayne Mardle expects a World Champion from Asia

Wayne Mardle is convinced that the next major breakthrough in darts will come from Asia. The former professional and current Sky Sports analyst sees the rapid development of players from countries including Japan continuing apace and expects it won’t be long before an Asian darter is crowned world champion.

According to Mardle, the strength of many Asian players lies chiefly in their exceptionally sound throwing technique. “Said it before, I shall say it again. The Japanese and a lot of the other Asian players, they will produce a world champion within, I don't know the timeline, but I'm gonna say 10 years,” he predicts on the socials of darts manufacturer Winmau.

The Englishman particularly points to the technical perfection with which many players from Asia release their darts. "Look at the follow through. That is pitch perfect, right? And don't get me started on Lourence Ilagan and how good he is. What is there to not like?"

Mardle says that any darter can have the odd misfire, but a strong technique significantly increases the odds of success. "Look, there's things that can go wrong with anyone, but when you do something so good like that, you give yourself so much of a chance."

Mardle sees the popularity of soft tip darts in Asia as an important reason for that technical progress. Although the format differs in several respects from traditional steel tip darts, he believes it produces many technically accomplished players.

He does, however, add a caveat regarding how soft tip is played. "Look, he's going for the bulls eye because that's how they play, but it takes out the element that we know, and that is the 501 played on a treble 20. The double ball, as you call it, is like the size of a doughnut. It's huge. It's gigantic.

After a brief smile, he quickly adds: "Yeah, I've missed it many a time, many a time."

Despite his admiration, Mardle also sees a downside to the schooling of many Asian darters. He isn’t sure who is responsible for guiding the players, but he is impressed by how they adopt each other’s techniques. "But what I do notice, not just about the way that they throw, and I say that I'm a predominantly Asian player's throw, which is they've got, I don't know who's coaching them. I've got no idea. Well, they're learning off each other, but they are doing it so right."

According to the former PDC player, the main area to watch lies in the arithmetic during matches. "Unfortunately, the byproduct of performing on a soft tip board is that the counting can sometimes go missing."