“That’s when I had a ‘Barney attack’ on stage" - Kim Huybrechts recalls smashing up trophy after Euro Tour heartbreak

Kim Huybrechts has been a mainstay on the PDC circuit for quite some time. The 39-year-old Belgian has claimed two European Tour titles in his career — the Dutch Darts Masters in 2013 and the European Darts Grand Prix in 2015. In 2016, ‘The Hurricane’ had a golden opportunity to add a third. However, the final of the International Darts Open ended in dramatic disappointment. As for the runner-up trophy, very little of it survived in the end.

Huybrechts was edged out 6-5 in the final by Mensur Suljovic, who enjoyed raucous support from the crowd in Riesa, Germany. Despite having plenty of chances, Huybrechts missed nine match darts and squandered a commanding lead. “That’s when I had a ‘Barney attack’ on stage,” he laughs now, speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast.

“We were given a trophy, of course. And naturally, I got the runner-up trophy. You have to do the photos first — I wasn’t exactly smiling in those. I even gave a few sarcastic thumbs up to the crowd when they announced me as the runner-up. No middle fingers, although I really wanted to.”

The trophy didn’t make it far on the journey home. “After the final, I went backstage and, of course, it was a beautiful glass trophy. Well, it didn’t survive the trip. It ended up in a thousand pieces with the camera crew.”

That same camera crew, though, had a ‘surprise’ for Huybrechts a little later. “At the next tournament, someone turned up with a cardboard box and said, ‘You forgot something in Riesa.’ I opened it up, and inside were all the shards of the trophy.”

Despite the heartbreak in Riesa, Huybrechts has remained a familiar face on the professional circuit. While a third European Tour title has so far eluded him, his longevity and competitive spirit continue to make him a dangerous opponent on any stage.