"I won’t quit until I get what I want" - Michael Smith refuses to throw in the towel amid injury woes

For the fifteenth winter in a row, Michael Smith is gearing up for the World Darts Championship, a tournament that he says means more than any other event. The former world champion returns to Alexandra Palace with renewed energy despite an up-and-down year, the venue where he celebrated his greatest triumph in 2023.

Smith was crowned world champion then after losing two previous finals. It was the World Championship final of that one historic leg, in which Michael van Gerwen first missed double 12 for a nine-darter, after which Smith did hit it. Smith then got to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy, creating a lasting bond with Ally Pally.

“It’s always a buzz going back to Ally Pally,” admitted Smith to PDC.TV. “Just driving up the hill and seeing the lights, you get that weird feeling. It never goes away either - from my first game against Co Stompe in 2011/12 up until now. I want to keep continuing because that feeling won’t disappear ever.

The Worlds, he emphasizes, outweigh all other tournaments combined. “It’s the main one. As soon as the World Championship finishes, you start thinking about next year, you just want to get back to Ally Pally. If I went on to win the World Championship, we’d forget about the last 11 months. One tournament can change the year.”

After his world title, Smith gradually slipped to 31st in the world rankings and struggled with injuries throughout the year. Still, at the Grand Slam of Darts in November he finally showed flashes of his old level again, good enough for a quarterfinal spot.

His mentality, he says, hasn’t changed. Quitting isn’t in his vocabulary. “You’ve definitely not seen the last of me, otherwise I could have quit this year,” asserted Smith. "I won’t quit until I get what I want and I think that’s been proven these last 12 months.

His practice sessions now have the intensity of better times. Smith feels his game is trending in the right direction heading into the Worlds. “I’m getting back to what I used to be doing practice-wise. I’m scoring and finishing well; it’s about taking it to Ally Pally now.

“I feel good and I feel ready. I’m not 100% but going into the Worlds, if I produce something, I know I can carry it on because I’ve done it that many times and I’ve lifted that trophy before.”

The draw paired Smith with Lisa Ashton, the Women’s World Matchplay champion. The pair previously met at the Grand Slam in 2022, when Smith won 5–3. Ashton is generally a crowd favorite, but Smith won’t be caught off guard.

“I’m looking forward to it, it should be a good game,” asserted Smith. “Lisa can score heavily and I know I can too.

“I know I’ve got the game and the scoring power, so I’m hoping I’m a little too strong for her, that’s what I’ve got planned in my head. It’s just about dealing with my emotions, not letting it get too much and staying focused. I need to get myself in that place and very quickly.

“I know that I can get it done and there’s nothing stopping me from coming back. I’ve just got to go up there and do my job and my job is to make sure I return.”