Vincent van der Voort shares painful injury moment: "I bent down, and then... snap"

Injuries are an unfortunate reality in elite sports, but sometimes it's the most mundane moments that can derail a career—at least temporarily. In the Darts Draait Door podcast by Sportnieuws.nl, Vincent van der Voort reflects on one of the most frustrating—yet comically absurd—injuries of his career, told with his trademark self-deprecating humor.

During the podcast’s “pub talk” segment, Van der Voort was asked to share a memorable injury from his time on the circuit. Without hesitation, the former professional darts player recalled a bizarre incident in 2014, just days before the World Grand Prix.

“I have to admit, this one was just embarrassing,” Van der Voort began. “A week before the tournament, my wife asked me to grab something quickly before the supermarket closed. Of course, it had to be on the bottom shelf. I bent down, and then... snap. Just like that. Such a stupid moment, and it was over nothing.”

The consequences, however, were anything but trivial. In the first round of the prestigious event, Van der Voort drew close friend Michael van Gerwen—an already daunting task made even worse by his back injury.

“That injury cost me the match against Michael,” he said. “I only managed to win a single leg. When you’re fully fit, it’s tough enough. But like that... it was impossible.”

The pain wasn’t limited to the oche. Even the walk back from the supermarket proved challenging.

“After that, I could only stare at my feet. I couldn’t straighten up. Still, I had to go to the register—you can’t come home without the jar, can you?”

The story had the podcast host in stitches, who remarked that these things are simply part of life. Van der Voort agreed, and added another comical tale—this time involving Van Gerwen himself.

“He once threw his back out sneezing in the shower,” Van der Voort chuckled. “That cost him the UK Open. I mean, what are you going to say? ‘Don’t sneeze’?”