"If you act weak or submissive you get screwed"- Kim Huybrechts on why he is outspoken as a darts player

Kim Huybrechts was competing alongside Dimitri Van den Bergh at the World Cup of Darts late last month. After the match won against the Netherlands, Huybrechts came off strong verbally.

The Belgian pair had just won over the Netherlands in the eighth finals when Huybrechts was interviewed on stage. "Who is Michael van Gerwen," he said. Viaplay reporter Arjan van der Giessen responded afterwards that he thought Huybrechts ran his mouth a bit too much.

On the "Double Top" podcast, Huybrechts responded to the incident. "Dimitri is a great player and achieved a phenomenal level in that match against Holland. In the past he had always lost to Van Gerwen, that's why I made that statement. If Dimitri shows this level and becomes a bit stronger mentally he has all the assets to win against Van Gerwen much more often," said the 38-year-old Belgian.

"Michael is a bluffer and tries to put you in a certain position and Dimitri is sensitive to that. But purely on the basis of quality, he should be absolutely inferior to Michael. That's exactly why I gave that interview."

That he put on a big mouth does dare Huybrechts to agree. "But darts is a real shark pit, if you act weak or submissive you get screwed. I always compare it to back in school, when I was a tremendously quiet kid who always stayed in the background. Because of that I was often bullied and because I never reacted, they knew I was an easy victim."

"That's why I sometimes put on a big mouth now," Huybrechts continued. After all, they shouldn't sit on my hood or say things I don't want. I won't let them do me anymore and stand up for myself, they need to know that I won't be pushed around."