It became one of the most iconic moments ever in the sport of darts, Michael Smith's nine-darter during the World Darts Championship final earlier this year against Michael van Gerwen.
ADVERTISEMENT
Van Gerwen approached perfection, while Smith then did manage to deliver a perfect leg. Van Gerwen threw 180 and 177 in his first two innings, Smith countered with two 180s.
Then the Dutchman was allowed to finish first. Van Gerwen found two more triples, but then missed the double 12. Smith then managed to throw out 141 and made it a legendary nine darter.
Images of the nine-darter went viral across all social media platforms. The PDC's channels featured footage of the ninth darter. Nearly three million people saw the video on YouTube, as many as 25 million on Twitter, nearly four million on Facebook and nearly four million on Instagram as well.
''Back home has been hectic. I literally can’t walk the streets and stuff,” Smith said in an interview with news.com.au. “A lot more interviews, more media, a lot more everything. It’s been really busy but I’d do it again in a heartbeat to get another world title. I think that nine darts alone sent the sport even more global — just the views and the amount of people talking about it. I woke up the next morning and I was on Shaquille O’Neal’s NBA show, I was the first darts player on BBC Breakfast. It was ridiculous.”
The 32-year-old Englishman does not expect his feat to ever happen again. “I don’t think that would ever happen again. For Michael van Gerwen to miss double 12, then for me to hit the double 12 and a nine-darter, that’s perfection. If Michael had hit the double 12 I’d never got my shot. I don’t think it’d happen again. Maybe four 180s, but no.”
After throwing the nine darter, Smith would also take the world title moments later. The current world number one is determined to add several more world titles.
''I’ve always said I wouldn’t be greedy. But now I’ve got one, I’ve still got a lot of time left I want to get multiple now. Even darts people, they only the remember the people with two, three, four or five. You get three or four and people start remembering and you leave a good legacy behind.”
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
THE BEST LEG OF ALL TIME! 🤯🔥
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN MISSES D12 FOR A NINE-DARTER, AND THEN SMITH PINS A PERFECT LEG HIMSELF!
ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS YOU'LL EVER SEE IN SPORT.