Justin Hood has enjoyed a stunning run on his debut at the PDC World Championship and he is closing in on his dream of opening a Chinese restaurant as a result.
Every sportsperson has a dream - but for most that is reaching the pinnacle of their chosen pursuit and winning trophies or medals.
Not for English darts player Justin Hood, who has turned a long-held dream into reality with his stunning run to the PDC World Championship quarter-finals.
Hood's dream - more than 10 years in the making - is to open a Chinese restaurant.
"I think we're there," Hood said - after beating 11th seed Josh Rock to reach the last eight at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday. "I don't think I've got a choice now.
"I haven't got a timeline. We'll be looking into it after the Worlds has finished and go from there."
Nicknamed 'Happy Feet', Hood has already won £100,000 in prize money at Ally Pally - and would take home £1m were he to win the tournament. To put that into context, in the two years prior to this tournament his highest payout from a single event was £6,500.
After beating Rock to set up a match with two-time winner Gary Anderson on New Year's Day, he asked the crowd: "Who wants a Chinese?"
Last year, Somerset's Hood gave up working as a night porter at a hotel - a role he job-shared with his wife Jessica - and spent eight weeks living in a hotel in Milton Keynes to earn his tour card.
He is now delivering at the top level - something he and his wife Jessica always believed was possible with more practice.
Jessica said she had been aware of his dream to open a Chinese restaurant from the day they met a decade ago.
"Numbers have not been crunched yet and we haven't done any type of business plan but it is something that will be probably happening next year," she told BBC Radio Bristol.
And it turns out Hood, who started the tournament ranked 86th in the world, may not be alone in his latest venture.
A few months ago, world number two Luke Humphries - world champion in 2024 - agreed to be involved if it became reality.
"We get on really well," said Humphries. "He asked: 'If I do this, can we open a Chinese restaurant?' I said, 'yeah, yeah... we will' so I think I've got to!
"He just wants to open one for the free Chinese food, and I'm like, 'Justin, mate, we've got to make money from it' and he's like, 'oh no, don't worry about that'.
"I get the Chinese, but he's in the tournament now. He's a contender. He's a competitor and he's someone I've got to watch out for.
"As much as we're great friends and get on really well, he is playing, arguably, the second best darts in this tournament.
"If he beats me in the semi-finals, there is no Chinese then!"
Hood's astonishing win over Rock
Having beaten Nick Kenny and Ryan Meikle either side of a final-leg shootout victory over world number six Danny Noppert, Hood set up a fourth-round encounter with Rock.
World Cup winner Rock had entered the tournament among the favourites, but found himself on the wrong side of a 4-0 drubbing.
Remarkably, the first 11 legs Hood won were with his first dart at a double. He missed for the first time when trying to take out 143 for the match, then squandered another three match darts.
But he made up for it in the following leg, taking out a 119 checkout to make sure he returned in the new year.
Hood's match average of 101.18 was the third highest in the fourth round - behind only Humphries and defending champion Luke Littler. He is one of only five players to record multiple 100+ averages in this year's tournament.
Why is Hood nicknamed 'Happy Feet'?
Hood has won over the Ally Pally crowd, with his nickname 'Happy Feet' perfectly fitting his laid-back character.
But the nickname has nothing to do with his personality.
"For his first game at county darts, when he was a wee little boy, he forgot his shoes and you have to wear black shoes - it is a regulation and you can't play without them," Jessica said.
"A member of his team, who had size 13 feet, gave him shoes to borrow. He is a size eight or nine.
"When he put his foot to the oche, they bent up like a slipper. People then called him 'Happy Feet'.
"You all see him the way I see him. He is being nobody else but himself. To see everyone love him like we do is such an amazing feeling."
How far could Hood go - and will he feature in Premier League Darts?
Despite his dream potentially being realised, Hood says "the money is bonus" and he now "wants that trophy".
"It's not a fairytale - I know what I can do and it's nice to prove it up there," Hood said.
"I am not worried about any player. I don't care if it is those guys or someone down the pub. If I play my game then I will beat everyone in here."
So what may be next for Hood? Other than opening up a restaurant, of course.
He is provisionally up to 50th in the world and a win over Anderson will move him up to 37th. Beating either Humphries or the Netherlands' Gian van Veen in the semi-finals would move him inside the world's top 20.
Victory in the final would guarantee a move to third in the world, which also comes with automatic qualification for the Premier League.
"I've got to win it to be in it," said Hood. "If I win it, I'm definitely in it.
"If I get to the final, then possibly. It's unlikely, but I don't worry about that.
"That's next year's problem. I've just got to keep focusing on what I'm doing down here now."
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Category: General Sports
