Damon Heta sent out Alexandra Palace into disaster on Friday afternoon after he struck a spectacular nine-dart finish activating a ₤ 60,000 payout to a random fan in the crowd at the PDC World Darts Championship.
The stunning moment came throughout his second-round clash against English player Luke Woodhouse.
But the Australian couldn't ride his momentum, with British darts star, Woodhouse returning from going 3-1 down to clinch 9 straight legs of darts and advance to the last 16 at the World Darts Championships for the very first time in his profession.
Despite the defeat, Heta will leave with ₤ 60k in his pocket, following his legendary nine-dart task.
For this year's PDC World Darts Championship, Paddy Power are paying a total of ₤ 180k for every single nine-darter scored during the tournament, with the funds to be divided 3 ways.
The player who tosses the ideal leg will get ₤ 60k, a fortunate fan at Alexandra Palace will likewise be handed a ₤ 60k cheque, while the sports betting company are likewise set to donate ₤ 60k to Prostate Cancer UK, the main Charity partner of the tournament.
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A fan in the audience who was wearing a yellow trilby hat and a Christamas-themed sports betting jacket was picked as the fortunate winner of the huge prize money.
Damon Heta struck an astonishing nine-dart surface on Friday afternoon at Alexandra Palace
HEROIC HETA HITS THE NINE! UNBELIEVABLE SCENES! Damon Heta lands the second nine-darter of the competition to raise the roofing at Alexandra Palace! #WCDarts pic.twitter.com/DW6rhvFqez
- PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2024
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The World No 9 won himself ₤ 60k with the best leg, with Paddy Power likewise now set to contribute another 60k to charity and to a random fan in the crowd at Ally Pally
Hilariously another fan had been seen holding a sign behind the male that checked out Wayne Mardle's iconic 'I can't spake' line, which the famous darts commentator had actually said following Michael Smith's nine-darter at the 2023 World Championships.
Paddy Power are likewise donating ₤ 1,000 for every 180 thrown during this Year's champion as part of their Bigger180 project.
Heta's best leg was the 2nd nine-dart surface at the tournament. Since this early morning, Paddy Power had raised over ₤ 500,000 for charity with 462 180s having actually been struck at the competition prior to the start of this afternoon's session.
The Australian started inadequately versus Woodhouse, with Heta conceding the first set, being broken by his opponent in the final leg of the first set.
He struck back in the 2nd term with an exceptional passage of play, racking off 2 180s and the final 141 in style.
The 37-year-old Australian, who hails from Perth, jumped around the stage in festivity and at one point even appeared to leap off the phase.
His opponent, Woodhouse, looked simply as excited as Heta did, jumping up and down on the stage before revealing his class, offering the Aussie star a hug and raising his hand in the air to commemorate the astonishing accomplishment.
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The Brit, 36, has been hailed for his response to the moment online, with one fan writing: 'Luke Woodhouse's event after Heta's nine-darter is class.'
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Paddy Power later exposed the gentleman who had actually won the ₤ 60,000 prize pot
The minute among the audience learnt they were ₤ 60,000 .twitter.com/G0eYn9n2ln
- Sky sports betting Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 27, 2024
Heta (left) and Luke Woodhouse (best) embraced on phase after the epic minute
After Heta had actually gone a set down in the very first exchange, his nine-dart finish saw him recover versus his British opponent to draw level at 1-1
'Big props to Luke Woodhouse - he's truly buzzing for his mate! Love the sportsmanship and excitement!' another composed on X.
'The way Luke Woodhousecelebrates Damon Heta's nine-darter and raises his hand later on is what makes this sport so fantastic,' one composed.
'The sociability in darts is amazing. Just look at the way Luke Woodhouse, commemorated his challenger's nine-darter earlier,' another said.
After the match, Woodhouse assessed the sensational minute that saw his buddy Heta win ₤ 60k.
'Me and Damo are buddies,' he informed Sky sports betting. 'We play golf together a lot. We hang out and practice a lot ...
'I understand he was gutted when he missed his double twelve in the first game.
'So, yeah, when he struck that nine-darter the crowd went wild.
'You couldn't not celebrate with him!'
Luke Woodhouse pic.twitter.com/Oza4ZK63yV
- Martin (@martin_kcr) December 27, 2024
Elated by the astonishing finish, the Australian, who hails from Perth, leapt off the phase in elation
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Woodhouse was praised for his reaction to his challenger's nine-dart finish, with some lauding his 'sportsmanship'
Heta would go on to control in the third set, winning 3-2 and once again controling the fourth, breaking his opponent two times.
But Woodhouse, who is ranked No 35 in the world, recovered, winning all 3 final sets to turn things around on his challenger and development through to the next round.
A noticeably emotional Woodhouse stated after the match: 'I'm over the moon.'
'It's not simply me it's my spouse, my family and my boy. So [I'm doing] truly great.'
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Aussie Darts Star Damon Heta Hits a NINE-DARTER At Alexandra Palaec
gertrudewitche edited this page 2025-01-02 02:51:49 +01:00