Kist Achieves Nine-Darter But Exits PDC World Championship; Spectator Awarded £60,000

Christian Kist achieved a nine-darter during his PDC World Championship first-round match, but was defeated by Madars Razma. This marked Kist’s first televised nine-darter. The Dutch player became the first competitor to complete a perfect leg in the competition since Michael Smith accomplished the feat en route to victory against Michael van Gerwen in the 2023 final. Kist, who was the 2012 BDO world champion at Lakeside, will receive £60,000 for this achievement. An identical sum was also allocated by sponsors to a charity and to a single spectator present at Alexandra Palace in London. The 38-year-old’s exceptional finish secured the initial set, however, his Latvian adversary recovered to win the match 3-1. Darts is among the limited number of sports capable of quantifying perfection; examples include snooker’s 147 maximum break, golf’s hole-in-one, and darts’ nine-dart finish. Kist scored two maximum 180s, setting up a 141 checkout that he completed with a double 12, much to the excitement of over 3,000 spectators. Nathan Aspinall, a two-time semi-finalist, persevered to defeat American Leonard Gates 3-1. The English 12th seed, who has experienced issues with wrist and back injuries, is potentially set to face Andrew Gilding in the third round, commencing on 27 December, provided Gilding triumphs over the winner of the match between Martin Lukeman and qualifier Nitin Kumar. Aspinall faces a challenging path to once again reach the last four, as both 2018 champion Rob Cross and 2024 runner-up Luke Littler are positioned in his section of the draw. Spectator Kris Receives Significant Birthday Gift Kist, who was eliminated from the previous year’s tournament by teenager Littler, will nonetheless receive a larger prize than he would have for a standard progression to the quarter-finals. His nine-darter marked the 15th such instance in the championship’s history and the first since what was described as the greatest leg in darts history, when Smith achieved it moments after Van Gerwen narrowly missed his own attempt. Darts enthusiast Kris, a railway worker residing in Sutton, south London, was randomly selected from the spectators to be awarded £60,000. Prostate Cancer UK also received an identical amount from the tournament’s sponsors, Paddy Power. “I’m speechless to be honest. I didn’t expect it to happen to me,” Kris stated. He added, “This was a birthday present so it makes it even better. My grandad got me tickets. It was just a normal day – I came here after work.” Kist commented, “Hitting the double 12 felt amazing. It was a lovely moment for everyone and I hope Kris enjoys the money. Maybe I will go on vacation next month.” Previously, Jim Williams, despite being the favorite against Paolo Nebrida, was defeated 3-2 in a lengthy match exceeding an hour. The Filipino player unexpectedly gained a 2-1 lead, and Williams only took the lead for the first time in the deciding set’s opening leg. The Welshman appeared poised for victory but failed to convert five match darts. UK Open semi-finalist Ricky Evans secured a second-round match against Dave Chisnall, achieving a 109 checkout to narrowly defeat Gordon Mathers 3-2. First Round Results: Paolo Nebrida 3-2 Jim Williams Madars Razma 3-1 Christian Kist Ricky Evans 3-2 Gordon Mathers Second Round Results: Nathan Aspinall 3-1 Leonard Gates All times GMT Afternoon Session (12:30) Chris Landman v Lok Yin Lee Callan Rydz v Romeo Grbavac Martin Lukeman v Nitin Kumar Gabriel Clemens v Robert Owen Evening Session (19:00) Nick Kenny v Stowe Buntz Mensur Suljovic v Matt Campbell Scott Williams v Niko Springer Michael Smith v Kevin Doets