"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

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.

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."