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Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish darts player says she 'sobbed for 25 minutes' after winning World Cup
WINNING a World Cup is the pinnacle in any sport. So it's little surprise that top Irish ladies darts player, Katie Sheldon, has revealed the emotion of that moment when she was part of an Ireland team that won the WDF World Cup in 2023. "When we won that, I was sobbing for 25 minutes straight," Katie says. Speaking on the latest episode of the Darts In Ireland podcast, sponsored by PlayrFit, Katie said she will be keen to repeat it when the Irish Ladies compete at the biannual WDF World Cup in South Korea in September. Katie said: "I remember that week when we won that [World Cup], we were getting interviewed from all over the place, and it wasn't even Ireland, it could have been anywhere. "But the week we won that was so amazing. I remember when we won I was sobbing for about 25 minutes straight. It was definitely amazing." WATCH HERE: At just 21-years-old, Sheldon, who is currently ranked no.1 in Ireland and no.10 on the PDC Women's Series, has already achieved a lot in her career. However she insists there is a lot more to come as she aims to eke out a professional career in the game. Katie with her Ireland team-mates Robyn Byrne, Aoife McCormack and Caroline Breen and manager Kevin Devaney after winning the WDF World Cup in 2023 She tells the Darts In Ireland podcast: "The women's game has come on an awful lot. "When you look at how much it has changed. We now have the PDC Women's Series, Modus does a special week just for the women and you have more girls and ladies showing up to our own INDO events in Ireland. "I think with the women's game, we just have to be a little but patient but when you compare it to just a few years ago, there are so many opportunities there now. "It would great to go fully professional, that's everyone's dream. If it came a time when I knew I was ready, I would definitely give it a go, but there's still loads of time, I'm only 21." READ MORE: However, Sheldon admits that money has never been her driving goal when it comes to darts. She added: "People would probably laugh at me when I say this but ever since I've been small, don't get me wrong the few bob is a help towards whatever tournaments are coming up, but money has never been a big thing for me. "When I was younger, and even still now, if someone handed me a really big trophy, I would love that as that's what I strive for, to win titles. "But money never really came into it and I never think about it when I'm playing." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
The Star
10-08-2025
- Sport
- The Star
A fine achievement - Malaysian darters qualify for WDF World Cup after an absence of 14 years
The bar room game of darts is booming in Malaysia nowadays, and the national team has also notched up an impressive achievement by being invited to the WDF World Cup, which will begin on Sept 22 in Seoul. These days, many darts tournaments are being held all over the country, and the sport is even booming in Sabah and Sarawak. So much so, the Youth and Sports Ministry has also added darts as part of its sports diary. The darters in Malaysia are also now gearing up for the Malaysian Darts Open to be held in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 22. But immediately after that tournament, the top Malaysian darters will be preparing for the WDF World Cup, and they will be playing among the very best darters that are playing in the top leagues across the world. The WDF World Cup is a darts tournament organised by the World Darts Federation and held biennially since 1977. It has featured men's events since the beginning, while women's events were added in 1983 and youth events in 1999. The most recent tournament, the 2023 World Cup, was held in Esbjerg, Denmark. National darts team manager C. Pathmanathan. "This is indeed an honour for Malaysia," said team manager C. Pathmanathan, who is also the Malaysian Darts Association treasurer and the Selangor Darts Association president. "We are proud that Malaysia is back in this elite tournament. The Malaysian national team promises that we will go all out to have a good, solid run in this tournament. Six players have been selected for the pre-training team, and then a final four-man team will be finalised for the tournament in Seoul. "The players in training are of very high standards, and we are confident of doing well. We have set a target of finishing among the top 16-placed teams. Making the last eight will be an incredible achievement." Among the favourites for the tournament are England, while host South Korea and Japan will lead Asia's charge. England have already announced that Scott Mitchell, the former World Champion and previous PDC Tour Card holder, will anchor his country as the captain in South Korea, bringing his valuable experience to the side. Besides South Korea and Japan, the Asia-Pacific region dart members comprise the following: Brunei, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Macau, the Philippines, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and Thailand. Besides Malaysia,the Philippines will also lead the charge for the South-East Asia region. "A total of 45 nations have been invited this year. We can be proud that Malaysia is in this group," said Pathmanathan. "Our Malaysian darters will also be taking part in the South Korea Darts Championships after the World Cup. This Korean meet will be held immediately after the World Cup." Malaysian national trainee Tenooth Sivalingam. The national training team currently comprises Tenooth Sivalingam, Mohd Nasir Jantan, Timothy Ryan Theseira, Mamat Kilau, Norisham Sebi, and Anbaarajan. "Four of them will be in the final squad. They are all training hard for the Malaysian Open now, but after that tournament, it will be full-time training for the World Cup," said Pathmanathan. The team manager added that while the Malaysia Darts Association is now funding the team for the meet, he also said that the team is looking for sponsors to further support the team. "At the moment, we already have an apparel sponsor. But it will always help if more sponsors come into the picture. This always helps, and more sponsors mean more support and that will further boost the national team," said Pathmanathan. For the record, Ultifresh Activewear has confirmed it will be the official apparel sponsor for the national side. For further inquiries on the national team, interested sponsors can contact Pathmanathan at 012 - 3431010 or the Malaysian Darts Association at 03 - 5167 4488.
Irish Daily Mirror
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Playing darts for Ireland at the World Cup is an honour - but it comes at a cost
WHEN you think about darts, South Korea certainly isn't a country that would immediately spring to mind. Yet such is the reach and ever growing popularity of the game, that all roads will lead to the Asian country this September for the 2025 WDF World Cup. The choice of this year's host country is all part of a plan to promote darts in regions where it might not have been so popular before. With China just producing their first ever snooker world champion in Zhao Xintong, how long will it be before Asian players take over on the oche too? For Ireland's part, our Ladies team are the reigning WDF World Cup champions and they will be in no mood to hand that title up when they rock up in South Korea in September. Three of the team that won the World Cup in 2023 - Robyn Byrne, Katie Sheldon and Aoife McCormack - will be back for another crack at it and will be joined by Donegal's darting stalwart Denise Cassidy. Under the expert eye of Galway man, Kevin Devaney, this team will be one to be feared again for sure. The Men's team isn't half bad either, with Ireland's number one, Offaly's Stephen Rosney, joined by reigning WDF Six Nations Singles champion Gerard McGlynn of Donegal and the Waterford pair of Dean Finn and Paddy Quinn. Quinn certainly reckons they will have what it takes to compete against the very best in the world, starting with the WDF Six Nations Cup in Wales next month. Meanwhile the Irish Youths teams will also be strongly represented at the World Cup. The Boys team will be made up of the WDF Europe Cup winning captain, Aidan O'Hara of Tipperary and Carlow's rising star Jack Courtney. They will be joined in Korea by the Girls pairing of Zoe Burke and Rachel Ivers, from Laois, who will no doubt pose a threat to all the big teams at the competition. While the opportunity to represent their country at a World Cup will be a huge honour for all 12 players involved, it does come at a huge cost. The Irish National Darts Organisation (INDO) will be looking at shelling out the guts of €30,000 to get their teams to South Korea. As a voluntary organisation, that is going to entail a fair bit of fundraising on their behalf, with an idonate fundraiser now up and running to help with the costs. To donate, please click on the link below.
