Special duel at the Darts World Cup
“The hardest thing is that he loves me more than anything”
12/22/2025 – 7:59 a.mReading time: 3 minutes
Paul Lim is a darts veteran and pulls off a huge coup in retirement. Now he meets an old acquaintance who could be his grandson.
When Paul Lim stepped in front of the dartboard for the first time at a world championship in 1982, the stage was small and the spotlight was manageable. It was a time when darts was still considered a pub sport – and many of today’s stars were not even born yet. At that time, Lim was at the beginning of a journey that would not end even more than forty years later.
For the 28th time, the “Singapore Slinger” has returned to the place where the darts world gathers: on the stage of Alexandra Palace in London. What was once a small tournament has become a global spectacle and the debutant has become a 71-year-old man.
And after his sensational start to this year’s Darts World Cup, a 3-1 win in the first round against Jeffrey de Graaf, the “darts grandpa”, as he is affectionately known by fans, has a big task waiting for him. None other than world number two Luke Humphries will be his next opponent this Monday evening. The two opponents are very familiar with each other.
“It’s amazing that we’re meeting again now of all times,” said Lim, who enjoys cult status among darts fans. The 71-year-old and Humphries already faced each other at the 2021 World Cup. Back then, “Cool Hand Luke” lost out in a spectacular duel.
The man from Singapore was initially 0-2 behind in sets in the first round match, but after a remarkable comeback he defeated Humphries 3-2. The tournament was over for the Englishman, but at the same time this match became the turning point in his career. “If anything, I’m grateful to Paul for winning that match because it changed me as a player and as a person,” said Humphries a few days ago. “Three months later I lost around 25 kilos, so it helped my career.” Three years later, the now 30-year-old was crowned world champion.
Now the two face each other again – and know how special this duel is. Lim, who was the first player to throw nine perfect darts in 1990, assessed the starting position realistically but combatively: “The Luke Humphries of today is not the Luke Humphries I met in 2021. But I never give up. He’s good – but I can beat him.”