Dmitri Van den Bergh Reminds Us The Nine-Darter Is One Of The Best Feats In Sports

The Professional Darts Corporation entered the second round of the bwin Grand Slam of Darts in Aldersley, United Kingdom on Wednesday with just one nine-darter on the season and none at the event since 2015.

Enter Dmitri Van den Bergh, who strolled to the oche in Aldersley for his second round match against Stephen Bunting with an 8-6 lead in a first to 10 legs match. For those that don’t follow darts (and, admittedly, that’s probably most American sports fans), the minimum number of darts you can throw in a leg is nine, with three darts on each throw and a maximum score on each throw being 180 (three darts in the triple 20 zone). The typical route to a nine darter is to go 180, 180, 141 (T20, T19, D12) to complete a perfect leg of darts.

Prior to Wednesday, 24 players had accomplished the feat in a televised match a total of 52 times — none more than the GOAT Phil Taylor with 11 nine-darters. And then, lightning struck in the form of the most magical 60 seconds in sports. Enjoy.

The nine-darter is not quite as elusive as a perfect game in baseball, of which there have been 23, but it’s similar in terms of what is required of the person trying to achieve it. A perfect game can be ruined by a multitude of factors, both in and out of the pitcher’s control, but also saved by those same external factors, while a nine-darter is fully in the hands of the person holding the darts.

Part of what makes a nine-darter so exhilarating to watch is how fast it all happens. A perfect game is a slow burn, filled with gut-wrenching anxiety and hushed whispers as a pitcher navigates through the later innings. Every crack of the bat brings terror that it’s going to end. Every 3-2 pitch on the corner the fear that an umpire will ruin the moment with a ball call. It’s three hours of waiting to culminate with jubilation.

The rapid nature of the nine-dart leg, from hope after the initial 180 to the palpable excitement in the building for the final 141, is part of what makes it great. A nine-darter happens in less than a minute, and there’s more excitement than anxiety with every throw that finds its mark. Just listen to the crowd in the Van den Bergh video. The first 180 elicits a wild response — as does every 180, no matter where it comes. As he continues to fill up the treble 20, the cheers get louder.

By the time he steps up for his final throws, everyone knows what’s required, the announcers step out and let the crowd tell the story.

Triple 20…
Triple 19…
Double 12.

The crowd loses their minds, as they just happened to be in the building for darts most elusive moment. The announcers deliver in the moment as well, as they always do — darts announcers are the best of all the sports, if for nothing else than the pure joy with which they call the sport. And Van den Bergh, cooly soaks it all in, explaining to the crowd that it’s his first nine-darter ever as his competitor Bunting gives him some dap and claps along with the crowd.