When David Munyua stepped onto the Alexandra Palace stage, few outside his close circle gave him a chance. By the end of the night, the Kenyan veterinarian had rewritten history – and sent darts fans back home into raptures.
Munyua, 30, came from two sets down to defeat Belgium’s Mike de Decker, the world number 18 and a recent World Grand Prix champion, in one of the early shocks of the PDC World Championship.
“It’s going crazy back in my country,” Munyua told BBC Radio 5 Live shortly after the match. “Everybody is like, ‘We did it.’ It’s a great feeling.”
The victory was remarkable not just for the comeback, but for the journey behind it. Munyua works full time as a vet and travelled outside Africa for the first time to compete in London. He is the first Kenyan ever to appear at the PDC World Championship.
For much of the match, it looked as though his debut would be brief. De Decker took the opening two sets with the calm authority of a seasoned professional. Munyua, however, refused to fade. He edged two tight sets in deciding legs to level the contest, before sealing a dramatic 3–2 win with a stunning 135 checkout in the final set.
“I could not feel my hands,” Munyua said, reflecting on the closing moments. “I had to calm myself and focus because the crowd was going wild. It was do or die. Mike is a top player.”
Back in Kenya, the response was immediate and emotional. Friends, colleagues and fans flooded social media with messages of pride. Munyua said his co-workers had played a key role in allowing him to balance his sporting ambitions with his profession.
“Earlier today, people kept asking me, ‘Are you ready?’” he said. “Darts is a simple game. You don’t need much space. Just a room, a board and darts. I hope it can grow in Africa like it has here.”
De Decker was gracious in defeat, congratulating Munyua publicly. Yet the Belgian also voiced frustration at the atmosphere inside Alexandra Palace. In a post on Instagram, he criticised sections of the crowd for booing and whistling, calling it behaviour that should not be accepted.
“Well done to David,” De Decker wrote, “but the crowd… when it happens to UK players in Europe, people complain. Then the same thing happens here.”
Munyua now waits to learn his next opponent — either Dutchman Kevin Doets or England’s Matthew Dennant — as his unlikely adventure continues.
For Kenyan darts, and for a vet who dared to dream beyond the clinic, the moment already feels bigger than one match.
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