“Some players didn’t even say hello – that changed me” – Kim Huybrechts opens up on PDC hostility

Kim Huybrechts has lived through more darting battles than most. For years he was the face of Belgian darts – a trailblazer who dared to challenge the British giants and made his country believe it belonged on the sport’s biggest stage. These days, ‘The Hurricane’ is Belgium’s number three, and that doesn’t sit comfortably with a man who’s built his career on pride and passion. So what’s changed since his peak years?

In the Throw and Tell podcast, Huybrechts spoke candidly about his career, his mindset, and his mission to rediscover the fire that once made him feared.

Put a microphone in front of Huybrechts and you’ll never get a dull word. The 'Hurricane' from Belgium speaks with fierce affection for the sport that shaped his life – and rightly so. His CV is stacked: a former Premier League player, a Players Championship Finals runner-up spot, and European Tour titles. He’s earned his place in darts history.

The past few years haven’t been easy. After the death of his mother, Huybrechts’ form plummeted and he slid out of the world’s top sixteen. “That was a really difficult time,” he said. “I’m someone who lives to win, and that loss hit me very hard.”

Now sitting 49th on the Order of Merit, he’s slowly steering his career back on course. In 2025 he’s shown flashes of his old brilliance on the European Tour, and he’s already sealed qualification for the World Championship – a stage that’s often brought the best out of him.

“I feel good,” he said on the podcast. “I’m working hard, trying to lose some weight by walking, and training with Erik Clarys. I think my level is somewhere between 40th and 50th in the world right now. I’m not playing badly, but at crucial moments I miss that winning double. It’s mental. These days you have to average 95 just to win a game on the Pro Tour. One bad dart can make all the difference.”

The competition is stronger than ever. Young talents like 25-year-old Niko Springer are already winning Euro Tour titles. “That makes me proud,” Huybrechts smiled. “I had big results in my twenties too, but back then darts was barely on TV in Belgium. Now the younger guys can see what’s possible.”

Still, it stings a little that he’s no longer front and centre. “When I see promo videos for the European Tour, I’m often not in them. That’s fine, but it shows how quickly people forget you when you’re not reaching finals anymore. I used to be everywhere, now I’m not. That motivates me to fight my way back.”

For Huybrechts, the biggest difference from his early years isn’t physical, it’s mental. “Back then I feared no one. Whether it was Phil Taylor or Gary Anderson, I thought: I’m going to beat you. Now sometimes I think: oh, he’s in good form or high in the rankings. That has to stop. I’m working to be more of a predator again, not a victim.”

That shift in mindset, he admits, has been years in the making. “In my early days I was the ‘bad guy’, and it worked. I celebrated hard and played with aggression. But when I was in the Premier League, I felt hostility. Some players didn’t even say hello. That changed me. I wanted to be liked, and it broke my game. The criticism I got hurt my confidence. But those celebrations came from pure emotion, not arrogance. It was my way of saying: yes, I’ve got this leg!”

Huybrechts rarely speaks this openly. Would he do things differently if he could go back ten years? “Definitely,” he said firmly. “I’d tell myself: ignore it. Those people don’t pay your bills. Just be yourself. That’s what I finally realise now.”

And when asked to name his darts Mount Rushmore? “Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson, Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld,” he replied without hesitation. As for the next generation, he’s backing Wessel Nijman, Mike De Decker, Lex Paeshuyse and Niko Springer to carry the torch forward.

Huybrechts might have mellowed, but that old hurricane still swirls beneath the surface – restless, defiant, and desperate to prove he’s far from finished.