“You should feel my heartbeat right now—I think I’m having a heart attack” – Belgian crowd propels Kim Huybrechts into last 16 in Wieze

For Kim Huybrechts, it turned into a night not soon to be forgotten at the Belgian Darts Open in Wieze. The experienced Belgian battled his way into the last sixteen after a hard-fought win, digging deep to come from behind. But anyone who thought Huybrechts had become immune to nerves after all these years was mistaken.

On the contrary: emotions were running high — and that only made his display more impressive. After his 6-4 victory over Josh Rock in the second round of the Belgian Darts Open, Huybrechts was immediately asked how he managed to turn the match around. His answer was as honest as it was telling. “How did I manage? The support of the Belgians,” he said with a broad smile. “You should feel my heartbeat right now—I think I’m having a heart attack.”

It captures the intensity of the moment. The match demanded everything of him, mentally and physically. But especially in those difficult phases he found the energy to fight back — and that came largely from the stands.

While playing at home adds extra pressure for some players, Huybrechts seems to grow stronger from it. In Wieze, with the crowd firmly behind him, he visibly comes alive. “When you have support like this, it’s just so much fun,” he said. “To play in your home country with these people. They’re crazy—in a good way—and I love it.”

Still, it’s not only the crowd that keeps Huybrechts going. The Belgian has been a fixture at the top level for years and knows how to handle these situations. “I think it’s experience,” he explained. “We see a lot of very good players—like Francois Schweyen—who can perform really well locally, but the pressure is high on stage.”

According to Huybrechts, that is exactly where the difference lies between talent and experience. “I’ve been a PDC professional for about 16 years now, so it comes down to experience. Even now, my heart rate was through the roof—I was extremely nervous—but that experience helps you deal with it.”

Strikingly, Huybrechts admitted that the nerves never fully disappear — no matter how experienced you are. “Even now I could feel my heartbeat through my body,” he said. “There are words I’m not going to repeat here, but believe me… it was tense. It felt like I was having a heart attack.”

That openness shows that elite sport, even for seasoned players, never becomes routine. Every match brings new pressure, new expectations, and new challenges.

What this evening in Wieze underlined most was the unique bond between Huybrechts and the Belgian crowd. Where others might crumble under expectation, he uses the fans’ energy as fuel. The crowd almost acted as an extra player — one that gave him that little push at crucial moments to keep going. And Huybrechts knows it too. Without that support, the course of the match might have been very different.

With his place in the last sixteen secured, Huybrechts can prepare for finals day. The opposition gets tougher, the pressure rises, but after this win his confidence will only have grown. “These kinds of matches give you belief,” seems to be the underlying message. Especially when you know that, even when it gets tough, you can fall back on your experience and the crowd.

For the home crowd, Huybrechts is more than just a participant. He is one of the faces of Belgian darts and carries the fans’ hopes on his shoulders. In Wieze, where darts is thriving like never before, every Belgian victory is felt all the more intensely. And with Huybrechts in form, belief in a strong tournament result is growing.

On Sunday afternoon, Huybrechts faces 10th seed Chris Dobey of England for a place in the last eight of the Belgian Darts Open, after Dobey proved too strong for Dave Chisnall in the second round with a 6-3 win.