Gerwyn Price, aka the Iceman, successfully managed to snatch the World Darts Championship for 2024, proving him to be the best at the sport earlier this year. As such, he has been identified as the favourite for the PDC World Darts Championship campaign for 2024 which kicked off on the 15th of December 2024 and is running up to the 3rd of January 2024. The contest is being held at Alexandra Palace in London, where a larger and more diverse number of contestants from different backgrounds and nationalities have been invited. 31 nationalities will be represented this year, surpassing the record of the 2024 edition by two more than last year. Either way, the more, the merrier is the case here as this diversity also includes younger players like; Fabian Schmutzler, who is 16, and female players like Fallon Sherrock. Fallon, better known on the oche as the Queen of the Palace is a serious contender to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy and the £500,000 prize at the end of the competition.
Here are a few reasons why Gerwyn Price has been identified as a favourite to win the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship.
List of current accolades
| Competition | Year | |
| ? | World Championship | 2021 |
| ? | World Grand Prix | 2020 |
| ? | World Cup of Darts | 2020 |
| ? | World Series of Darts Finals | 2020 |
| ? | Grand Slam of Darts | 2018, 2019, 2024 |
Gerwyn Price’s winning ways started in his earlier rugby career. He switched to darts but his drive and heart of a sportsman easily transferred with him. This has carried him through some of his more challenging encounters, where he has pushed himself to power through a few bad sets to overall victory, like in the 2024 World Grand Prix when he won a 3-0 victory to beat Dave Chisnall and advance to the semi-finals. He managed this and other feats despite the fans jeering and booing. Gerwyn managed to bounce back from this and many other encounters that saw him on a backfoot at one point but saw him come out victorious on the other end. This just shows his ability to bounce back and focus whilst blocking out all distractions, which is a valuable tool in any sport. As such, he managed to break various records and win many titles, all just as important as his most significant win to date, being the first Welsh PDC World Champion and the 11th world number 1 in PDC history.
Another thing that pushes Gerwyn Price to the top of the list is his ability to grow within the sport. Considering that his Professional Darts Career is less than 10 years, it’s worth noting that he has been playing this sport for far less time than the other contenders in his league. In an interview, he exclaimed that “a lot of people can throw darts; it’s just how they think about the game. That’s how I’ve improved. My mind is different.” In the last 5 years, Price has won major titles and faced off with some of the greatest players in the game and won. As such, it wouldn’t come as a shock if he retains the title for 2024, as he has shown that he has the ability to win and he has learnt from his earlier encounters.
Source: instagram.com
Gerwyn’s background shows his ability to work as a team player, though he can carry his weight as an individual as well. He can handle himself under pressure and also rattle other players’ cages, as shown in the early stages of the PDC 2019 title race. Price and Gary Anderson had an “altercation” in which Price’s celebrations seemed too long and loud, which annoyed Anderson, who then pushed him slightly. Fortunately, there was no exchange of blows; however, the encounter saw Gerwyn receiving a fine from the Darts Regulation Authority of £21.5k, which was later slashed to £11.5k after a successful appeal. Price was branded as unsportsmanly for a while afterwards, and he was booed multiple times when he walked in to play. The worst part of it was when his daughter, Emily, was being trolled on Twitter because of it, and that’s when he spoke up against it. Despite all these challenges, he was not wavered by the booing, and the fine, as he said it actually encouraged him to soldier on and become a better player.
Source: unsplash.com
There has been some speculation that the 2024 title will be going to a new winner, with many eyes hoping for a win from one of the best female contenders, Fallon Sherrock and Lisa Ashton. However, this might be a far bet as they will be facing some tough contenders in the second round. Top contenders; Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Jonny Clayton and Dimitri van den Bergh have been in impressive form and are expected to put on a show. Van Gerwen, in particular, has been earmarked for the championship title, with PDC chairman Eddie Hearn tipping Michael van Gerwen to be the next champion.
Source: dartsactueel.nl
We are really looking forward to this PDC competition, and we hope you are too. It may be challenging to enjoy the play because it is holiday time, and the kids will want your attention. However, you can check out the stores such as Kimbino with a lot of Lego inspiration to keep the little ones occupied whilst you watch your games. You can also try the new Netflix Kids Clips to keep them entertained too. So, enjoy the PDC World Darts Championship 2024!
