After participating in Super Darts 2015 for the second time running, Singapore professional darts player, Paul Lim finally achieved his dream goal of clinching the Super Darts Champion trophy. He defeated top Croatian darter, Boris Krcmar, in an amazing finals game to win the title - Super Darts Champion 2015 as well as a big cash prize money of 10 million Yen (around S$110,000).
Super Darts is the world's top premier tournament for professional Soft-tip darts players. Only 16 of the best players in the world are invited to the tournament. Organised by Dartslive, Super Darts is considered as the biggest and most prestigious of them all.
2 years ago, at the last Super Darts 2013 tournament in Hong Kong, Paul was stopped during the semi-finals by Benjamin Dersch. Paul recalled, "That was a big disappointment for me, but I try to learn from each loss and use that as a strength to get better and better. Every time I lose, I remember. How did it happen, why and so on. As calm as I look on the outside, I am burning up inside because of the disappointment...but I will never show it. I use it as a motivation to improve for the future."
Going into this year's tournament, Paul prepared himself by practising almost every day.
"I was well-prepared for Super Darts 2015. From the trip to Japan, the routine and preparation for that day, everything was smooth. I try to go into every tournament with a positive attitude. The feelings inside me, getting myself excited from the hype and wanting to play and face the challenge... these are all positive signs that I was ready to play."
On the day of the tournament, the 16 players were separated into two practice rooms with 8 players and 1 board in each room and the players took turns to warm up. "I never once sat down and relax," shared Paul. "I paced myself and didn't throw too much. Just enough to loosen up. I drank very little and slowly build up the feeling and desire. From that moment, I knew I was ready to play."
In the first round of the tournament, Paul was drawn against American Scott Kirchner, the winner of the previous Super Darts 2013. Despite the straight forward score of 3-0 win, Paul did not feel it was a simple win. "For any player, the first match is always the hardest. But once I was on stage and threw my first 3 darts, I somehow knew, I was stroking well and with confidence. That is the biggest asset any player could have, just before kicking off the first game. After winning 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, I felt such a big relief that the first round is over. You see, players hate first round matches. All the tournament jitters, and not wanting to lose early in the first round."
For his top 8 game, Paul was up against flamboyant Takehiro Suzuki, also THE WORLD 2012 champion and a person whom Paul had played with quite a few times. Paul played consistently well, winning 3-1 and finishing with a perfect BULL game. Paul shared, "Having played with him a number of times, I knew his style. When he is ahead and confident, he flows, throws and smile, like it was so easy. So I needed to stay with him and keep on pressuring him. Just play my 3 darts the best I could each time. That's my strategy, give myself that comfort zone and take the lead at all times. It felt good."
Paul's next semi final match was against Shunpei Noge, a Cosmo-sponsored Japanese player who had put up a strong challenge and won against Lourence Illagan in the quarter-finals. Shunpei won 3-2 against the Filipino THE WORLD 2013 champion, with a high 121 checkout on the last choice 701 game. Paul remarked, "I knew Shunpei was a rising star in Japan. He was leading towards the end of the Japan Tour being the champion or runners-up for a few stages. I watched his stroke and knew he could play well." Paul also had compliments for the Filipino player, "We all knew Illagan is a nightmare to play with at all times. But then again, who isn't at this stage of the tournament. In fact, everyone is a nightmare, haha...".
Shunpei was Paul's strongest opponent during the tournament based on the score of 3-2. Paul explained, "At our level of play, I feel all matches should go to the final leg. It's similar to tennis matches where it's played to the end because of the serve. The same thing for this format - most of the time, the person that goes first, wins. So, it now boils down to two simple strategies - win the cork if it goes to the last leg and don't let it drag to the last leg, simple, isn't it?" laughed Paul.
After beating Adrian Gray in the other semi-finals match, Croatian player Boris Krcmar reached the finals to set up a showdown with Paul Lim. The towering 6.5 feet tall player had a reputation for his quick and deadly accurate throws and have won a few THE WORLD stages before. Paul shared, "Boris is a tough guy to play against at any time. He is very consistent and good. So, I had to keep the pressure on him and to make every shot count."
Darts is not only a physical game requiring hand-eye coordination and accuracy of the body, but also the mental strength to withstand the pressure of the game while on stage during an important match. Paul explained, "The mental part is the most important element especially during the finals. You need to build up your confidence. You need to start the game well and keep at it. "
During his final match with Boris, the game started either way leg for leg. It was best of 7 legs. Paul recalled, "All I remember was, 3 darts each round and just THROW. No hesitation, just 3 good darts at a time. We all knew how to do it. It was just a matter of doing it with ease or under pressure. You know, sometimes, pressure is a good thing. It makes your concentration level go up to the next zone. We like to be in that zone for a confidence booster."
Finally, after winning a great 701 on the 5th leg, Paul was leading 3-2. He just needed to win the next cricket game to avoid the last choice game, which he did, finishing the game with an average of 9.0 marks per round. Paul shared, "All I remember was just throw my best shot, every 3 darts. I was in the zone and I didn't realized I had thrown 3 back-to-back 9 counts. That means I was really in the zone. It wasn't until late that night, while looking through Facebook that I realised what I did. It was very satisfying."
Paul was jumping with joy on stage when he won the last cricket game. "I felt joy and contentment. It felt like a huge load had been lifted off my shoulders." Paul also shared his motto about darts, "Darts is not just a game. It is about the heart and soul and it's simply magic. That's what darts is!"
Winning the Super Darts trophy was something Paul had yearned and trained hard for. "Obviously, I was very happy to have won the title. I felt very satisfied and accomplished. But it doesn't stop here. I just got to keep working hard for the next one. Winning one is always easier than two, so, that's my next aim - to win 2 Super Darts, in a row! Don't win Once only, cannot win it just twice, keep on defending!"
Congratulations to Paul Lim for his spectacular win at Super Darts 2015 and all Singapore darters will surely cheer you on for the next Super Darts tournament!
** Super Darts photos are Copyright @ DARTSLIVE
Super Darts is the world's top premier tournament for professional Soft-tip darts players. Only 16 of the best players in the world are invited to the tournament. Organised by Dartslive, Super Darts is considered as the biggest and most prestigious of them all.
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| Paul Lim - Super Darts 2015 Champion |
2 years ago, at the last Super Darts 2013 tournament in Hong Kong, Paul was stopped during the semi-finals by Benjamin Dersch. Paul recalled, "That was a big disappointment for me, but I try to learn from each loss and use that as a strength to get better and better. Every time I lose, I remember. How did it happen, why and so on. As calm as I look on the outside, I am burning up inside because of the disappointment...but I will never show it. I use it as a motivation to improve for the future."
Going into this year's tournament, Paul prepared himself by practising almost every day.
"I was well-prepared for Super Darts 2015. From the trip to Japan, the routine and preparation for that day, everything was smooth. I try to go into every tournament with a positive attitude. The feelings inside me, getting myself excited from the hype and wanting to play and face the challenge... these are all positive signs that I was ready to play."
On the day of the tournament, the 16 players were separated into two practice rooms with 8 players and 1 board in each room and the players took turns to warm up. "I never once sat down and relax," shared Paul. "I paced myself and didn't throw too much. Just enough to loosen up. I drank very little and slowly build up the feeling and desire. From that moment, I knew I was ready to play."
In the first round of the tournament, Paul was drawn against American Scott Kirchner, the winner of the previous Super Darts 2013. Despite the straight forward score of 3-0 win, Paul did not feel it was a simple win. "For any player, the first match is always the hardest. But once I was on stage and threw my first 3 darts, I somehow knew, I was stroking well and with confidence. That is the biggest asset any player could have, just before kicking off the first game. After winning 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, I felt such a big relief that the first round is over. You see, players hate first round matches. All the tournament jitters, and not wanting to lose early in the first round."
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| Paul Lim wins Super Darts 2015 |
For his top 8 game, Paul was up against flamboyant Takehiro Suzuki, also THE WORLD 2012 champion and a person whom Paul had played with quite a few times. Paul played consistently well, winning 3-1 and finishing with a perfect BULL game. Paul shared, "Having played with him a number of times, I knew his style. When he is ahead and confident, he flows, throws and smile, like it was so easy. So I needed to stay with him and keep on pressuring him. Just play my 3 darts the best I could each time. That's my strategy, give myself that comfort zone and take the lead at all times. It felt good."
Paul's next semi final match was against Shunpei Noge, a Cosmo-sponsored Japanese player who had put up a strong challenge and won against Lourence Illagan in the quarter-finals. Shunpei won 3-2 against the Filipino THE WORLD 2013 champion, with a high 121 checkout on the last choice 701 game. Paul remarked, "I knew Shunpei was a rising star in Japan. He was leading towards the end of the Japan Tour being the champion or runners-up for a few stages. I watched his stroke and knew he could play well." Paul also had compliments for the Filipino player, "We all knew Illagan is a nightmare to play with at all times. But then again, who isn't at this stage of the tournament. In fact, everyone is a nightmare, haha...".
Shunpei was Paul's strongest opponent during the tournament based on the score of 3-2. Paul explained, "At our level of play, I feel all matches should go to the final leg. It's similar to tennis matches where it's played to the end because of the serve. The same thing for this format - most of the time, the person that goes first, wins. So, it now boils down to two simple strategies - win the cork if it goes to the last leg and don't let it drag to the last leg, simple, isn't it?" laughed Paul.
After beating Adrian Gray in the other semi-finals match, Croatian player Boris Krcmar reached the finals to set up a showdown with Paul Lim. The towering 6.5 feet tall player had a reputation for his quick and deadly accurate throws and have won a few THE WORLD stages before. Paul shared, "Boris is a tough guy to play against at any time. He is very consistent and good. So, I had to keep the pressure on him and to make every shot count."
Darts is not only a physical game requiring hand-eye coordination and accuracy of the body, but also the mental strength to withstand the pressure of the game while on stage during an important match. Paul explained, "The mental part is the most important element especially during the finals. You need to build up your confidence. You need to start the game well and keep at it. "
During his final match with Boris, the game started either way leg for leg. It was best of 7 legs. Paul recalled, "All I remember was, 3 darts each round and just THROW. No hesitation, just 3 good darts at a time. We all knew how to do it. It was just a matter of doing it with ease or under pressure. You know, sometimes, pressure is a good thing. It makes your concentration level go up to the next zone. We like to be in that zone for a confidence booster."
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| Paul Lim in the zone during the finals |
Finally, after winning a great 701 on the 5th leg, Paul was leading 3-2. He just needed to win the next cricket game to avoid the last choice game, which he did, finishing the game with an average of 9.0 marks per round. Paul shared, "All I remember was just throw my best shot, every 3 darts. I was in the zone and I didn't realized I had thrown 3 back-to-back 9 counts. That means I was really in the zone. It wasn't until late that night, while looking through Facebook that I realised what I did. It was very satisfying."
Paul was jumping with joy on stage when he won the last cricket game. "I felt joy and contentment. It felt like a huge load had been lifted off my shoulders." Paul also shared his motto about darts, "Darts is not just a game. It is about the heart and soul and it's simply magic. That's what darts is!"
Winning the Super Darts trophy was something Paul had yearned and trained hard for. "Obviously, I was very happy to have won the title. I felt very satisfied and accomplished. But it doesn't stop here. I just got to keep working hard for the next one. Winning one is always easier than two, so, that's my next aim - to win 2 Super Darts, in a row! Don't win Once only, cannot win it just twice, keep on defending!"
Congratulations to Paul Lim for his spectacular win at Super Darts 2015 and all Singapore darters will surely cheer you on for the next Super Darts tournament!
** Super Darts photos are Copyright @ DARTSLIVE
