"I was crying for a long time after the final" - Rowby-John Rodriguez shares World Cup of Darts heartache after another narrow miss for Austria
PDC
In a slight turn up for the books, the Austrian duo of Rowby-John Rodriguez and Mensur Suljovic reached the final of the 2024 World Cup of Darts recently. Ultimately, their fairy tale run didn't end in glory as England's Michael Smith and Luke Humphries prevailed in the final, 10-6.
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Although, as mentioned, not many would have fancied the Austrian pair at the start of the World Cup of Darts, Rodriguez and Suljovic's run was actually their second final in four editions of the prestigious pairs event. Back in 2021, their final also ended in disappointment as the Scottish duo of Peter Wright and John Henderson took the title.
"I was crying for a long time after the final. In the venue, in the hotel room, my daughter cried too saying; 'Daddy the guys in the white shirts took the trophy' and that made me so emotional," recalls Rodriguez of the heartbreak at another near miss, in conversation with Sky Sports. "I wanted it so badly. This was the third World final that I played (two World Cups and one World Youth Championships ed.) and I lost all three of them."
"In future, no one talks about the second places, they only talk about the champions. I want to be there and I've had a chance now three times," continues the Austrian. "I wanted it so badly. For me, for my country, for my family and it was so hard to take in that moment."
Despite his clear heartache, Rodriguez admits that Austria just came up short against a superior opponent in the final. "Number one and number three in the world and they just smashed it," he admits with a wry smile. "Luke Humphries had such a good game. Big finishes and good scoring. I was a little bit tired in the final already but yeah, you can see why those two are world champions and they have a winners mentality. I still have to learn that."
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
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.
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- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
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- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
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- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
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