Luke Humphries going to hospital and will miss tournament after fan injures him
Luke Humphries going to hospital and will miss tournament after fan injures him
Luke Humphries was left in agony before he had even thrown a dart at the US Darts Masters - and will now have an X-ray after playing through the pain barrier to win the title
Luke Humphries
(Image: X.com/Online Darts )
Luke Humphries pushed through intense discomfort to triumph at the US Darts Masters, despite a rocky start to the tournament that saw him injured before his initial game in New York's Madison Square Garden.
The reigning world No. 1 had an unfortunate incident during his entrance as he prepared to face Stowe Buntz in the opening round, injuring his thumb when an eager fan accidentally yanked it back. Cool Hand Luke managed to win that match and continued his streak by defeating American Danny Lauby, following which he impressively overpowered Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals with a 7-2 victory.
He then went on to clinch the title against Nathan Aspinall in the final, securing an 8-6 win even though he was still dealing with considerable pain.
Before taking on the final, Humphries expressed his determination to Online Darts, stating: "When I was in the final, I said to my family, 'I'm going to give it everything, if I injure my hand in the final, it doesn't matter.' I tried my best, and thankfully, it was good enough."
The darting champion is set to take a short break, with plans to rest for several weeks ahead of his participation in the European Tour's Baltic Sea Open scheduled for mid-July. This event is just before he defends his World Matchplay title, reports the Express.
Reflecting on his injury, Humphries described his thumb as particularly swollen, noting the difficulty experienced while playing due to issues with grip.
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He explained, "It's hard to play through; I was struggling with the grip. I couldn't hold my thumb in the same position."
Consequently, he will be absent from the forthcoming World Series event in Poland starting this Friday.
"I don't want to make it all about that because I've won the title, I don't want the headlines to be about me and an injury. But the guy, when he pulled my hand back, he really hurt it. I'm going to have to go home and get it X-rayed.
"I don't think it's broken because it doesn't hurt to squeeze it. I've got a couple of weeks off now. The next time I play will be in Kiel [at the Baltic Sea Open]."
Despite his injury, Humphries was elated to secure victory at such a prestigious venue.
He shared: "This is the most iconic venue that we play in and it's really special to win this event. It's one of the top venues in the world and it's one I've always dreamed of winning. When I finally won it tonight, it was an amazing relief.
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"Once I knew I was in a winning position, I started getting nervous - I'm really pleased to win and I'm over the moon. It's another massive event ticked off for me.
"I've won World Championships, World Matchplays, Premier Leagues and these big titles and it felt like I'd won another major. That's how big it is. It's very special and you could see my relief at the end.
"This was the one on the World Series that I really wanted to win. The crowd have been absolutely amazing this week, and to have my mum and dad here to see me win again means the world to us all."
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