Cameron Carolissen’s World Championship appearance aims to elevate African darts

Cameron Carolissen, the sole African participant in the 2025 PDC World Championship, aims for his involvement to promote darts across the continent, notwithstanding his elimination in the initial round. This marked his first return to the tournament since the 2021 edition. On Friday, the South African player was narrowly defeated 3-2 by Wessel Nijman, who holds a world ranking 167 positions higher. Carolissen secured his qualification for the Alexandra Palace tournament for only the second occasion, emerging victorious from a pool of 105 competitors in Nairobi during September. The 28-year-old conveyed to BBC Sport Africa, “For the boys back home, I hope that this is an eye-opener to them. I hope they see the bigger picture, and then they can see what the ultimate goal is for darts in Africa. I’m happy that I can be here and represent not just South Africa, but Africa [as a] whole. I can go home smiling.” Carolissen, a native of Cape Town, began playing darts at the age of 12, inspired by his father and aunt, who were regular players. Known as ‘The Javelin’, he attributes a significant portion of the sport’s advancement on the continent to fellow South African Devon Petersen, who has participated in the World Championship nine times and advanced to the last 16 in 2014, 2019, and 2021. Petersen, aged 38, established the African Darts Group (ADG) with the purpose of organizing events that offer players opportunities for development and exposure to the nature of elite tournaments. Carolissen further stated, “What the ADG is trying to achieve is creating that platform for players to get used to these opportunities – playing at Ally Pally, the World Cup or any other tournaments. We are constantly playing in front of the cameras, [with] the media and the interviews. It just creates a little bit in terms of what to expect. To play at Alexandra Palace, it’s a much bigger scale. It’s about learning and adapting.” Carolissen secured his qualification for the World Championship by defeating Peter Wachiuri of Kenya. In the best-of-five match, Nijman claimed the initial two sets; however, Carolissen remained composed despite the significant setting in north London. He mounted a comeback, securing six of eight legs to equalize the match and compel a deciding set. The audience demonstrated their support for Carolissen by singing “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” the Shakira track that served as the anthem for the 2010 Fifa World Cup held in South Africa. Carolissen remarked, “You know the crowd is going to be buzzing. I always tell boys back home: ‘When you get up on stage, that’s your moment where you can let your inner character out.’ Once you do that, you’ll be so much comfortable. If you want to give a little bit of a roar, do it.” Despite his defeat, Carolissen concluded the match with a superior three-dart average compared to his Dutch adversary, in addition to achieving more scores of both 100+ and 140+. This marked his inaugural experience competing before a capacity crowd at the World Championship, as his debut in December 2020 occurred amidst the coronavirus pandemic. During that previous appearance, he received what he termed “a freebie” when his initial opponent, Martijn Kleermaker, tested positive for Covid-19. Carolissen advanced via a walkover but was subsequently defeated 3-1 by Danny Noppert in the second round. The South African commented, “To be back at the Palace after four years and to experience the crowd, to be in such an environment, is absolutely amazing. To play here is every darts player’s dream. Although I wanted to win so bad against Wessel, I think my performance was enough for the world to know that Cameron Carolissen is here. I’m happy with the performance. I think I can go back home to my family at Christmas and I can just enjoy the sunshine in Cape Town.”