13/04/2023

"Looks like he could go again as soon as a tournament is over": Nicholson believes that gluten-free diet factor in Price's recent success

Gerwyn Price has arguably been the form player in the world of darts in 2023. Former Players Championship Finals winner and current tv analyst Paul Nicholson believes he may know they key to the Iceman's success.

"It has been spoken about that he has employed a new gluten-free diet lately, and you may be critical in saying that it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with darts. Poppycock! Finding things that work is the key to ideal preparation," the Asset explains in a column for the PDC's official website.

"If a gluten-free diet gives him more energy and better gut health, what is not to like? Call me crazy, but since this has come about, he is winning more regularly than most seasons and he looks like he could go again as soon as a tournament is over."

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With a pair of title wins on the European Tour to his name and a trio of night wins in the Premier League, Price has been on fire in 2023, consistently firing in 100+ averages. "He is already the second most successful Euro Tour player ever, and he wasn’t even around when it started in 2012," Nicholson continues.

"This is a player who over the last nine years has looked under every rock for an advantage. I know that he is not the most universally popular player with the darting masses, but if you look at his career with an open mind and a fresh outlook, you cannot refuse to respect his desire, approach and ability to rebound when things get negative."

Indeed a gluten-free diet isn't the first thing Price has tried in order to gain an advantage. Famously at the 2023 World Darts Championship, the Welshman took to the stage wearing ear defenders in an attempt to block out the boos of the crowd.

"A lot was made of the World Championship ear defenders, but what I saw was courageous. He was not shy to try something that would send the sporting world into a spiral," Nicholson says of the debacle. "He genuinely doesn’t care what anyone thinks when it comes to striving for success and I cannot tell you how much that annoys some players."