David Munyua says there has been a "crazy" reaction in Kenya to his shock victory over world number 18 Mike de Decker at the PDC World Championship.
Kenya's David Munyua says there has been a "crazy" reaction in his home country to his shock victory over world number 18 Mike de Decker at the PDC World Championship.
The 30-year-old works full-time as a vet and has made his first trip outside Africa to compete at Alexandra Palace.
He became the first player from Kenya to appear at the tournament and made a sensational comeback to beat Belgian De Decker - who won one of the PDC's major televised titles, the World Grand Prix, as recently as October 2024.
Munyua's World Championship debut looked like ending in defeat when he lost the first two sets.
However, he was able to win the next two in deciding legs to level the match, before a fantastic 135 checkout in the final set provided the platform for him to complete a stunning 3-2 victory.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live shortly after his win, Munyua said: "It's going crazy back in my country - everybody is like 'we did it'. It's a great feeling.
"Earlier today, most of the people were saying 'this is the day now, are you ready?'
"Darts is a simple game. You don't need acres of land to play - you only need a room with a board and the darts.
"I hope it's going to be as big [in Africa] as it is here."
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Munyua said he was grateful for the support of his work colleagues, who have allowed him to follow his sporting dreams alongside his career.
Reflecting on hitting the winning double, he added: "I could not feel my hands. I was trying to be relaxed. I had to calm down as much as I could and try to concentrate because the crowd was going crazy about it.
"It was either do-or-die because Mike is a top player."
Munyua will face Dutchman Kevin Doets or England's Matthew Dennant in the second round, who play on Friday.
Meanwhile, De Decker praised Munyua on social media for his victory but was unhappy with the conduct of the Alexandra Palace crowd during the match.
He posted on Instagram: "Well done to David but the crowd wow... booing and whistling shouldn't be something that's normal or supported.
"First to complain when it happens to UK players in Europe but then doing the exact same thing when the tournament is in the UK."
Category: General Sports
