"I was a pioneer, but I didn't get rich from it" - Co Stompé recalls run to Lakeside semi-final 24 years ago

24 years ago, Co Stompé reached the semi-finals at the BDO World Cup. But he didn't get rich from that.

Stompé currently works as an analyst at Viaplay, but also has another day job. "I am almost under the planes at Schiphol Airport," Stompé told De Telegraaf. "I'm in the dismantling business. From demolition to drilling. I like that very much. Being self-employed, I can plan my own time. Next week I will be working two night shifts. There is always something going on at Schiphol and it keeps me fit. I've never been afraid to work for my money."

Stompe lost the BDO World Championship semi-final against Ronnie Baxter in 2000. 'The Matchstick' received 11,000 pounds as a losing semi-finalist. By comparison, semi-finalists at the recent PDC World Darts Championship received £100,000. "I was a pioneer. They have to be there too, to make a sport great. What I have now is fine by me, too."

At the time, Stompé combined a day job as a streetcar driver with a darts career. "I was just back on the streetcar two days after that semi-final. Did I get a free sliced raisin bread at the little bakery at the terminus, where I always got my sandwiches. Raymond van Barneveld was so big by then, he got a Jacuzzi once."