wdf

Bullseye in Kazakhstan: Playing the Asian Tour, the past and the growing passion for darts

AsianDartsEen reactie plaatsen

On January 13th 2024, something really exciting happened: For the first time, a player from Kazakhstan participated in the PDC Asian Tour. Violetta Chsherbakova participated in Asian Tour 02, which was held in Dubai. In 2020, AsianDarts was made as a platform for darts in as many Asian countries possible, but it’s not always easy to find the right information on darts in certain countries. But after months of preparation, searching, translating, talking and interviewing, I am proud to have written an article about darts in Kazakhstan. Please enjoy.

Picture: Grouppicture with players at the 2nd Shakespeare Darts Cup

First, let’s start in 1989 when Kazakhstan was part of the the Soviet-Union, or the USSR. This year, the Wall of Berlin fell and East and West Germany became one united country again. After that more and more regions of the Soviet Union started declaring their independency, with Kazakhstan doing so in 1990. In 1991 the USSR dissolved and Kazakhstan became one of the new countries in Asia. Violetta Chsherbakova, the first player from Kazakhstan on the Asian Tour, was actually born in the USSR. ‘My city was given to Kazakhstan in 1991 and therefor I’ve been a citizen from Kazakhstan since 1991. I used to work in a casino and my hobbies were playing hockey, soccer and helping my father out in the garage. Seeing a dartboard for the first time reminded me of those hobbies, and my love for numbers’. Chsherbakova started playing darts when she lived in Abu Dhabi, so she has never played darts in Kazakhstan before. In Abu Dhabi, she plays local leagues among the men, trying to combine this with being a single mother of two. ‘The plan was originally to fly to the Philippines to play there as well, but the plans changed at the last moment. I can be hard to manage, so I was only able to play in Asian Tour 02.’

In 1994, American ‘John Strafford’ moved to Kazakhstan for work. He was already playing darts in the USA before he moved and started playing darts on Saturdays at KIMEP University. Anyone willing to pay the fee was welcome, so not just students. In 1995, Strafford organized his own mini league together with other expats. Over the years new pubs opened and a few of them installed dart boards (but most of them did not have darts to throw with, so Strafford sometimes left his old darts at pubs for other people to play). Mad Murphys which opened in 1998 had two boards and again there were some mini leagues with a mixture of locals and expats. Strafford: ‘Some very good darts players from the Kazakhstan Darts Team would play and there were some competitions organized at different venues. The ladies champion of Kazakhstan played a lot of tournaments and really tried to push the sports. But the sports in Kazakhstan that actually got pushed by the government are tennis and golf. There is a lot of interest in Martial Arts as well.’ In Kazakhstan, the National Darts Federation is part of the Archery Federation and they’re not planning to invest in darts anytime soon. Yelzhan Maulenov, the main organizer of the Shakespear Cup in Almaty, confirms this: ‘We contacted them multiple times, but we stopped our attempts. They’re not dealing with darts currently’.

Picture: Shakespeare Pub

Maulenov, together with a group of other darts enthousiasts, didn’t give up and went to the Shakespeare Pub to ask if it was okay to hold a couple of tournaments at the pub. With their own time and money, they gave it a try and now there have been two succesful editions of the tournament, which also holds a ranking. During the second tournament, not only expats and locals played, but also players from other parts of Kazahkstan like Astana (the current capital). Even two players from Uzbekistan joined the tournament and ended up runner up at the pairs competition and winning the Main Tournament and the Women’s Tournament. ‘Actually we were hoping for some players from Mongolia to come to the 3rd tournament, but they will play at the Nippon Darts Festival which is held on the same days. So maybe next time.’

Picture: The Shakespeare Darts Cup, players in action

Will it be possible for Kazakhstan to get darts to the next level? The Shakespeare Cup is becoming more and more international and is an Open Tournament as well. Everyone can participate in it. Strafford says: ‘This group of organizers and players are mainly younger people. If they keep this up, I can see them getting darts to the next level in a couple of years.’ Maulenov would be interested in working towards joining the WDF in the future, but this could be very hard due to the national federation and the government not showing any interest in darts at all.

So a lot has happened to darts in Kazakhstan over the past 35 years, sometimes being more popular than other times. But now it seems that darts in Kazakhstan is on the rise again, with the first player on the Asian Tour playing for the country and the hard work of the Shakespeare Darts Club.

The third Shakespeare Tournament will be held on 17-18th August 2024. For anyone wishing to join, the location is: The Shakespeare Pub at Almaty, Dostyk Ave., 40 . Participation fee is 5000 tenge.

Recaps from the previous two tournaments can be found here on YouTube.

Special thanks for this article goes out to Nitin Kumar, Violetta Chsherbakova, Yelzhan Maulenov and John Strafford for getting me in touch with the right people, their time and dedication to answer questions as well as sending all the information on the Shakespear Cup, pictures, etc. It wouldn’t have been possible without all of you!

🇵🇭Lady Darter of the Year Giselle Bulahao about her journey in darts

AsianDartsEen reactie plaatsen

Darts in the Philippines is really popular at the moment. Last years PDC World Championship saw 4 Filipino players participating and this year’s Asian Tour has been a good year for the Philippines as well. At the 18th ADA International Tour in Hong Kong, the Filipino players took most of the prizes home. Remarkable are the good results among the ladies players: The Philippines currently have multiple players who really perform consistently. Giselle Bulahao is one of them, swooping up three prizes at the 18th ADA as well as booking herself a place at the 2023 WDF World Masters during last year’s MOJO.

Bulahao, from Tuba, Benguet, used to be a professional teacher and started out playing darts when her uncle and cousins convinced her to play with them in one of the dart leagues in Benguet. The most popular type of darts in the Philippines is actually steel tip, so that’s where she started out her journey in darts. After winning many tournaments inside the Philippines, Bulahao took her chance and played the MOJO tournaments (Malaysian Open and Johor Open) in 2023. Bulahao: ”MOJO in Malaysia was my very first international tournament outside of the Philippines. It was also my first time to play against players of different nationalities. I’m just happy because I was able to give them good matches that led me to winning both MO and JO singles.”


Her Malaysian Open win secured her a spot at the WDF World Masters. The WDF states on their website that ‘the 2024 edition of the World Masters will be held in Europe and will take place from Wednesday, October 9th through Sunday, October 13th. Further information on the host city, venue, prize fund, and how to enter will be released on or before Friday 31 May’. Bulahao would love to represent her country at that tournament: ”Darts is my passion. I quit teaching right after the pandemic to focus more on my darts career, so if given the chance to play again overseas, I would love to. The highlights in my darts career are probably my tournaments outside of the Philippines. I’m getting goosebumps everytime I represent my country.”

Besides steel tip, Bulahao tried soft tip for the first time at the ADA 18th International Darts Tour in Hong Kong, and succesfully: ”That was actually my first time to play soft tip, and luckily, I won in the 501 singles, doubles and triples. It was a good learning experience for me, especially so that I’m still new to the world of soft tip darts 😊” She won the doubles with that tournament’s MVP Janice Hinojales and the triples with Hinojales and Noel Malicdem.

Another title Bulahao was awarded with, is the Christ Sports Lady Darter of the Year award. She explains: ”The Chris Sports Lady Darter of the Year is one of the most prestigious awards given to a player here in the Philippines who has accumulated the highest points from January to December. It is being awarded every January of the following year. This started last year.”

She is an inspiration to many players in and outside of the Philippines. Giselle says: ”It’s fulfilling in my part knowing that there are those who see me as an inspiration. It’s every athlete’s joy to inspire others by the hardwork they put in. I feel inspired by those who always show support in my darts career- my family, my teammates, and sponsor.”

To wrap up the interview, she tells more about her plans and goals:
”This year my goal is to master the game of soft tip darts and to win more championships. God willing. ☝️

To all the readers, thank you so much for supporting darts.”

I’d really like to thank Giselle Bulahao for her time, the NDFP for all the oportunities they’re giving and creating for players in the Philippines as well as credit them for the above pictures.

Interview with Mahi Bosmia, India’s top ladies player, at the Dutch Open Darts

AsianDartsEen reactie plaatsen

Welcome to all readers from AsianDarts. Today, we have a special interview with a very inspirational player: Mahi Bosmia from India. The interview has been recorded by Wim Blokpoel from Dartfreakz and you can watch it below in the article. This article will be an addition to the interview with more facts about Mahi but also some points about darts in India, one of the things we talked about with Mahi and Piyush Bosmia off camera. We hope you enjoy reading about Mahi and we also hope to explain more about the situation of darts in India.

Mahi, 17 years old from Calcutta, India, started out darts when she was young. Her father, Piyush Bosmia, started out playing darts together with his wife in 2015 and Mahi accompanied them to tournaments which sparked an interest for darts with herself as well. Her father noticed this and started teaching Mahi darts as well as entering her into various youth tournaments. It turned out she is talented and after winning her first title, Mahi really found the joy of darts, eventually leading her to the Dutch Open in Assen. Mahi is still studying besides all this as well, studying at The Bhawanipur College in Calcutta. They also sponsor her for her international trips. Mahi states she is very much thankful to them as without such support it is impossible to participate in such events.

Financial support is really important in Indian darts. One of the things we spoke about off camera at the Dutch Open was about the AIDA. AIDA (All Indian Darts Association) is one of the darts organisations in India and the one who is affiliated to the WDF (World Darts Federation). If a player qualifies for a tournament (Mahi did for the WDF World Cup in Denmark), they have to pay AIDA a fee firstly, otherwise they’ll be thrown out of the selection.

Piyush adds that Mahi was asked to pay charges higher than what WDF were offering to all international players and upon asking the Indian authorities about detailed expenses to understand why it is higher than it should be, no reply on same was received from authorities but instead later we came to know that someone else was selected in her place without properly informing to us for same reason around 4 players including manager for the tour backed out understanding there in less clarity on why the extra funds were asked.

This is one of the reasons why the best players from India don’t get a lot of exposure and instead, players who hit 30-40 averages but have more money can go. Combine this with really expensive flights because VISAS don’t come in early enough, expensive hotel costs and the players having to pay pretty much everything out of their own pockets. The AIDA always preferred players not to play at other tournaments as well, sometimes even resulting in forbidding players to play other tournaments and banning them from the organisation. Piyush notes that a positive change happened over the last year in this matter: ‘Things from last one year has changed in AIDA for now as since last year they are allowing other players to play AIDA and also they are allowing their regular players to play other organisers events. All thanks to the efforts given by IDC to improve players standard and giving more opportunities to players.‘ This resulted in Mahi being able to play more tournaments in India and winning every tournament she entered for the last two years in both ladies and youth category.

Speaking to Nitin Kumar recently, we discovered that the same process is happening to players who want to play PDC Qualifiers and now, the top players have started their own organisation. The IDC, the Indian Darts Council, is now the place where the best players of India play at. Kumar: ‘The IDC hold close to 30to40 tournaments a year. This includes Nationals, State Championships, Inter-Club events and a Premier League kind of tournament. But sadly, the IDC is not affiliated with either the WDF or the PDC, making it hard for top players to participate in big tournaments.’ 

India is a growing darts country with many good players, but the IDC and their players do not have as many opportunities as they would like internationally. We hope our readers will start following the IDC tournaments closely on Facebook or YouTube where matches get posted every now and then.

Mahi is only 17 years old but winning big time in India at the tournaments she enters. Last year, she decided to take steps to play more tournaments internationally and there took second place at the MOJO (Malaysian Open / Johor Open) in Malaysia. In the interview below she talks more about her experiences at that tournament. Mahi plans to play the PDC Women’s Series in the future as well, taking on the best ladies in the world. She had a glimpse of that during the 2024 Dutch Open Darts, where she played and beat the likes of Jo Rolls and Sharona Veld, making the Last 16 alongside names like Beau Greaves, Aileen de Graaf, Noa-Lynn van Leuven and Kirsty Hutchinson. After an outstanding performance in the ladies singles, more and more people started talking about her and knowing who she is. Mahi eventually lost out 4-1 to Rhian O’Sullivan. We also spoke to Mahi after that, saying that more and more people know who she is now and making the Last 16 for the first time at such a big tournament and also at the age of 17 is an amazing accomplishment. Mahi: ‘Thank you so much, this was my goal; to let people know who I am, give a good performance and especially playing for India. I want to show people that there are good players in India, so I’m proud to play for my country.’

Even though Mahi is very talented, it’s not always easy for her to come to international tournaments because of the above. Still, she’s a positive young lady who really wants to show what she is capable of, hoping to play the PDC Women’s Series and find her way to the biggest tournaments in the world.

It was so nice to meet someone who is so proud of her country and we hope Mahi will get all the chances she deserves in the future. And of course, we’ll keep on following Mahi through her darts journey.

Interview with Jun Matsuda: I’m focused on giving my best in my darts

AsianDartsEen reactie plaatsen

Hello everyone! Today I’m happy to announce this interview with one of Japan’s best players currently: Jun Matsuda. Currently in the top 4 of the PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit and on a World Championship spot, Jun was so kind to answer my questions about darts, the PDC, WDF and future plans.

I hope you all enjoy reading this interview.

(The interview below is in both Japanese and English. There might be some spelling errors here and there, because I wrote the questions in Dutch and translated with a combination of my own knowledge of the Japanese language and the help of a translator.)


ダーツを始めたきっかけは何で、いつでしたか？

ダーツを始めたきっかけは

元々ビリヤードを17歳位からやっておりまして、そこにソフトダーツのマシンが導入された事が始まりです。

ビリヤードでは暫く順番が来ない事があるのですが、ダーツは必ず順番が来るのでフェアだと思いましたね(笑)

What was the reason you started playing darts, and when was it?

The reason I started playing darts was because I had been playing billiards since I was around 17 years old, and soft dart machines were introduced there.

In billiards, there are times when you have to wait a while for your turn, but with darts, the turns always come in order, so I thought it was fair (laughs).

仕事は何をしていて、ダーツ以外の趣味は何ですか？

仕事は元々はリサイクルショップを個人で営んでおりました。

が…今はダーツが専業になってます。

趣味はアウトドアですね。

北海道は冬が非常に寒いのでキャンプに最適です♪

What do you do for work, and what are your other hobbies besides darts?

I used to run a recycling shop on my own. But… now darts has become my main occupation.

My hobby is outdoor activities. Hokkaido is very cold in winter, so it’s perfect for camping♪

2019年にはじめてフェニックスのパーフェクトツアーに参加しましたね。すぐに優勝し、その後すぐにL-StyleとDYNASTYのスポンサーを得ましたね。なぜ参加することにしたのか、そしてその後の経験について教えてください。

PHOENIX DARTSのプロ団体

「PERFECT」に参戦するキッカケになった理由はいくつかあります。

先ずは2019年のスティールリーグ

「light League」での年間ランキングで1位になり、そのご褒美にADA香港に招待して頂きました。

その時の刺激でしょうか♪

アジアでもこんなにも強い人が居る

ならプロなら更に面白そうと思い始めたのです(笑)

もう1つは北海道のダーツを盛り上げたいという思いがありました。

その為に北海道からでも戦える事を証明したかったのです。

今の所上手くいってるかと(笑)

スポンサー様である「Lstyle」様

「DYNASTY」様には本当に良くして頂いております。

今年は「PHOENIX DARTS」様にもスポンサードをして頂き感謝しかありません。

In 2019, you participated in the Phoenix Perfect Tour for the first time. You won immediately and soon after got sponsored by L-Style and DYNASTY. Can you tell me why you decided to participate and about your experiences afterward?

The reason I decided to join the “PERFECT” pro organization of PHOENIX DARTS had several factors.

First, I ranked first in the “light League” of the 2019 Steel League, and as a reward, I was invited to ADA Hong Kong. I think that was the inspiration♪ Seeing such strong players in Asia made me think that if there are players this strong, it would be even more interesting to become a pro (laughs). Another reason was my desire to promote darts in Hokkaido. I wanted to prove that I could compete even from Hokkaido. So far, it seems to be working well (laughs). Sponsors like “Lstyle” and “DYNASTY” have been really good to me. This year, I’m also grateful for the sponsorship from “PHOENIX DARTS.”

2022年にはオランダのWDFウィンマウワールドマスターズとオープンに参加しましたね。その経験はどうでしたか？また、WDFのトーナメントとPDCのトーナメントはあなたの目にはどのように異なりますか？

WDFマスターズは楽しかったですね。

投げ方、リズムが十人十色でレベルが高い！

今後の課題を沢山貰った非常に有意義なトーナメントでした。

PDCのトーナメントは対戦相手が

全員スター選手でやはり世界の最高峰のトーナメントと思っております。

In 2022, you participated in the WDF Winmau World Masters and Open in the Netherlands. How was that experience? Also, how do WDF and PDC tournaments differ in your eyes?

The WDF Masters was enjoyable. Different throwing styles, rhythms, and a high level of play! It was a very meaningful tournament where I received many challenges for the future. PDC tournaments feature opponents who are all star players, making them the pinnacle of the world, in my opinion.

また、2度PDCワールドカップに出場していますね。国を代表する形でプレーすることについてどう感じていますか？PDCワールドカップ・オブ・ダーツで誰と一緒にダーツをしたいですか？

PDCワールドカップも楽しいですねぇ♪

日本を代表する選手として思いきり楽しみ、そして応援して頂いてる皆さんも楽しんで貰える様に……

と思っております♪

対戦したい国は沢山あります。

近年ではウェールズ、スコットランド、オランダ、ベルギーは是非対戦してみたいですね。

You’ve also represented your country twice in the PDC World Cup. How do you feel about playing as a representative of your country? Who would you like to play darts with in the PDC World Cup of Darts?

The PDC World Cup is also a lot of fun♪ I want to fully enjoy playing as a representative of Japan and ensure that everyone who supports me also has fun… That’s what I’m thinking♪ There are many countries I’d like to play against. In recent years, I’d love to play against Wales, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

数週間後には中国で最後のアジアンツアーがありますね。現在、あなたは4位に位置しています。そのままでいれば、PDCワールドチャンピオンシップに参加できますね。最後のアジアンツアーに向けてどのように準備していますか？特別に緊張していますか？

とうとうアジアツアー最終戦の中国ですね♪

いつもと変わらずに調整して

楽しいダーツをしたいと思っております♪

特別な緊張は今ところありません。

自分のダーツに徹する事のみ考えております。

In a few weeks, the final Asian Tour event will take place in China. You’re currently in 4th place. If you maintain your position, you’ll qualify for the PDC World Championship. How are you preparing for the last Asian Tour event? Are you extra nervous?

Finally, the last Asian Tour event in China♪ I’m adjusting as usual and aiming to have fun playing darts♪ I’m not feeling any special nervousness at the moment. I’m just focused on giving my best in my darts.

2024年におけるダーツに関する計画は何ですか？

これは今非常に考えている所です。

更なる挑戦を視野に入れ、

今後の状況を踏まえて決めて行きたいと思っております。

What are your plans for darts in 2024?

I’m currently thinking about this a lot. I’m considering further challenges and will decide based on the situation ahead.

いつかPDC Qスクールに参加して、ツアーカードを獲得しようと考えていますか？

もちろんQスクールの事は常に考えております。

戦ってみたいですね😊

Are you thinking about participating in the PDC Q School to earn a tour card?

Of course, I’m always thinking about Q School. I’d like to give it a try 😊

ロンドンのWorld Championshipダーツ以外で、どのトーナメントにまた参加したいですか？

これは難しいですね……

もちろんPDCツアーでしょうか……

PDCシニアツアーも面白そうですね♪

Apart from the World Championship Darts in London, which other tournament would you like to participate in?

This is a tough question… Probably another PDC tour event… The Senior Tour seems interesting too♪

ダーツでのあなたのインスピレーションは誰ですか？なぜその人がインスピレーションとなっていますか？

やはりダーツを始めた時に感じたフィル・テイラー氏でしょうか…

プロのダーツプレイヤーの全てがそこにあると思っております😊

Who inspires you in darts? Why are they an inspiration to you?

It would still be Phil Taylor, whom I felt inspired by when I first started playing darts… I believe all professional dart players have something special😊

に、読者の皆さんへのメッセージはありますか？

ご覧頂きありがとうございます。

しがない日本の1プレイヤーですが、世界のダーツプレイヤー、皆様とお会いできる日を楽しみにしております。

スポンサーである

「DYNASTY」

「Lstyle」

「PHOENIXDARTS」

と共に応援よろしくお願い致します🙇‍♂️

Do you have a message for your readers?

Thank you for reading. I’m just a player from Japan, but I’m looking forward to the day I can meet all the world’s dart players. Please continue to support me along with my sponsors, “DYNASTY,” “Lstyle,” and “PHOENIX DARTS.” 🙇‍♂️

Interview with Jaein Oh: ‘I am investing for my dream’

AsianDartsEen reactie plaatsen

It’s been yet another while, but today I’m happy to announce a small interview with South Korean darts player ‘Jaein Oh’, who participates in most of the PDC Asian Tours, the WDF World Masters and Open and soon the PDC World Youth Championship. At those tournaments, he played the likes of Paul Lim, Jelle Klaasen, Xiaochen Zong and Mathew Lee. I’ve known Jaein for a while now, so time to ask him some questions about his career in darts and what drives him to play all of these international tournaments (which obviously cost a lot). Please enjoy!

Jaein Oh at the WDF Winmau World Masters in 2022 in Assen, The Netherlands

Can you write an introduction about yourself?

Hi I’m Jaein Oh from South Korea. I’m 24 years old. I live in Seongnam city. My name pronunciation is same to Jane, but I am a boy : )

How and when did you start playing darts?

When I was 19. I worked at beer pub. There was a soft tip darts machine, so I first experienced it.

Can you tell something more about the darts scene in South Korea?

There are two soft tip darts leagues in Korea:
1. Dartslive Korea Stage
2. Phoenixdarts Perfect Korea
Unfortunately, Steel tip darts competitions are very few. Korea can do Soft tip darts, but Steel tip darts is hard to experience. When I practice Soft tip darts, I go to the Bar or Beer pub, The place where I go to practice is Magnum bar or Wero pub. These are located in Moran, Seongnam. When I practice steel tip darts, I usually practice at home using Nakka. Sometime I go to Wero pub because the owner hangs a steel tip darts board on the wall in the store for me.

Steel tip darts is obviously less popular than soft tip darts in South Korea. Why do you think is that?

Soft tip darts game can make money. When play the 501 games, we have to pay 1,000 won (0,61 pounds/0,71 euros) per leg. That’s it. And a lot of owners are concerned about the safety of Steel tip darts. So that’s why many people can’t experience about steel tip darts.

You play a lot of international tournaments (PDC Asian Tour, WDF Winmau Masters and Open, PDC World Youth Championship). What motivates you to travel all the way to play those tournaments?

My dream is to participate at the PDC World Championship. So I think I need more experience. It takes a lot of money to participate in international competitions, but I think I am investing for my dream

And can you tell something about your best experience at an international darts tournament? What moment or match has been memorable to you?

I remember a lot of matches. I have to choose the 2022 Winmau World Masters. Because I felt the wall from the world class players. That is make me more practice. (Jeain participated in the World Masters and Open where he played Jelle Klaasen).

You’re still young, how do you balance darts with work or studies?

My job in Korea is a traditionally rice cake baker. I have to get up very early. On Monday to Thursday, I work from 2am to 8pm. So I don’t have much sleeping time. I try to practice every day. I can sleep for 5 hours, but I use one hour to practice. I practice most of the time even on my day off.

Which darts player (or players) is or are your inspiration, and why?

Hyunchul Park. Because I think he is an all time legend in Korea. I’m a really big fan of him. He went to Japan for play darts, won the Japan Soft tip darts tournaments, and has a very good career in The World Softip darts tournaments and PDC Asian Tour.

What are your goals and aspirations for your darting career in the coming years?

Maybe not next month. Maybe not next year. But I promise. I will be World Champion

You also play the DARTSLIVE soft tip tournaments in South Korea. Can you tell something about those tournaments and your experience?

I only participated in one stage and I need to play more games, but I know there are many good players in Korea playing these tournaments.

Do you have a final message for the readers?

Hi I’m Jaein Oh. Thank you for reading the interview and if you want to know more about me follow my Instagram (jaeinohkr). Thank you!

Interview with Hattaya Kanjanarungsima: ‘Thai Darts is growing’

AsianDartsEen reactie plaatsen

(Pictures: Hattaya Kanjanarungsima FB)
Thai darts has been represented in the PDC World Cup from 2014-2018, but since 2019 the country has not been selected for the tournament anymore. That doesn’t mean that Thai darts is having a complete meltdown, on the contrary: A new organisation has seen light in 2018: The Darts Association of Thailand, with Winmau sponsoring the DAT for three years and Thailand becoming a full WDF member since January 2019. Especially female darts is on the rise, so I asked one of the best female Thai players, Hattaya Kanjanarungsima, a couple of questions about her career and ladies darts in Thailand.

Hattaya Kanjanarungsima - Taranaki International Open 2019

Name: Hattaya Kanjanarungsima

Age: 34

Major sponsor: L-Style

WDF Ranking (time of writing): 48

When and why did you start playing darts?

I started playing darts actively in 2012. Darts is an attractive sport because I can touch many emotions whenever I am on game!

How much do you practice?

I practice 4-8 hours a day.

Kanjanarungsima won the Taranaki International Darts Open in 2019, beating Tina Osborne 5-3 in the final. She describes her time during the tournament as a great one, which made her want to practice even more and more.


How did you feel playing the final against Tina Osborne?

On the oche, I did not know her before. I followed the game and tried to do my best. After the game, I just knew she was a top player!! I think I was so lucky at the time.

How is it to play darts in Thailand?

Darts in Thailand now, I think it is growing. We now joined the WDF again, so we get a chance to collect ranking points for the world stage.

Are there many opportunities for ladies players/ladies darts in Thailand?

In Thailand, there are currently many ladies players who are improving a lot, so yes.

What is your best achievement in darts?

International Champion in Taranaki, after that Champion in Malaysia.

What was the favorite place you went for darts and why?

I enjoy many places that hold darts event…..actually I like everywhere that has darts.

What are your goals for the future?

In the future, I hope to go to a world tournament one time in my life.

Who is your inspiration in darts?

One ladies player that inspires me is Japanese player Mikuru Suzuki. She now is the first Asian player to become a World Champion. However, my family is very important for supporting me.

Who are, besides yourself, two ladies players from Thailand we have to look out for in the future?

In my opinion, Thai ladies players who have a good performance, skill and positive thinking for darts are Ornong Boonyanit and Kim Lebbing (14 year old youth player who won a Singha Ladies Tour in 2020 and was runner-up at the 2019 Japan Open Youth).

Kim Lebbing vs Sakuto Sueshige

Do you have a message for the readers?

For all followers or someone who is interested in darts: Come on to join and you will love darts just like me. Darts is not a battle or fighting game. This sport is a meditation and mentality game, fighting with yourself. Last but not least, ‘Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way’. I hope you will enjoy Darts.