Dennie Olde Kalter heads to Lakeside without fear: "If I reach my best level, I don't have to be afraid of anyone"

Dennie Olde Kalter will take on Englishman Antony Allen in the first round of the WDF World Championship in early December. The winner of that game will meet 14th-seeded Darren Johnson in the second round.

Olde Kalter attended a World Championship once before, losing 4-1 to Mario Vandenbogaerde in the second round at the very last BDO World Championship in 2020. "That experience is definitely going to help me this year. I remember I was very nervous at my World Championship debut, that will be better now," Olde Kalter said to Darts Actueel.

The 32-year-old Dutchman hardly played any WDF tournaments this year. "Actually, the Dutch Open was my only tournament in the WDF, but I did particularly well there with a place in the quarterfinals. The WDF circuit is also not particularly lucrative and I was already qualified for Lakeside anyway, so I opted mainly for the Challenge Tour."

Because of this, Kalter is not a seed at Lakeside. "Oh well, actually I don't care that much. If I reach my best level, I don't have to be afraid of anyone."

Earlier this year, Olde Kalter was active at Q-School. "But that turned into a disappointment," he says. "Even though I didn't play badly, I often went out quickly. It took a while to get over that disappointment. It wasn't until the Modus Super Series that I found my rhythm again. I then also played again with my old arrows and managed to reach the final night. Then I decided to just stick with those arrows and not change anymore."

In addition to Olde Kalter, there are seven other Dutchmen in the WDF World Championship's field of participants. "There is absolutely no hate and envy between us, on the contrary, we support each other through thick and thin. Hate and envy is also unnecessary, you just have to show at the board what you are worth."