"This is my last World Championship" - Living legend Paul Lim announces Lakeside return will be his farewell

Monday night at Lakeside was dominated by the return of living legend Paul Lim. And 'The Singapore Slinger' did not disappoint and he turned back time at the WDF World Championship, racing to a 2-0 victory over Moreno Blom in the opening round. Next up for Lim, is Kai Fan Leung.

Lim was back at Lakeside thirty years after his last appearance (then at the BDO World Championships) and thirty-four years since his iconic nine-darter. Despite his age he showed no signs of wear and tear, on the contrary, he averaged 90.26 and did not give his 47 (!) years younger opponent a chance.

"I was back here before for the Seniors but this is different. I've seen so many old friends and now their kids are playing instead of them," Lim laughs in a post-match interview. "It brings back a lot of good memories."

"I didn't have the intention of really chasing the tour, because I was actually chasing PDC tour," the 70-year-old continues. "I missed out by a couple of spots, but when I was told that I could possibly be qualifying for the WDF, I got excited because like I said, it's good memories."

For Lim this is his 27th participation (BDO/PDC/WDF) in a World Championship. In 1982 he was there for the first time and in 1990 he provided a memorable moment by throwing the first nine-darter at a World Championship. "But this is my last World Championship," he says. "I will still be involved with darts, but I think I will do a lot more with the youth in Asia. Because I believe, the the future of darts is about the youth."

Aa mentioned, Lim will take on Kai Fan Leung in the next round. "I knew him from Hong Kong when I was living in Hong Kong," Lim says of his upcoming opponent. "So we've just got to play our best to see who wins. That's all."