'Once I started putting the weight back on, suddenly the darts started flying again' - Weight loss nearly cost Jermaine Wattimena his tour card

Jermaine Wattimena broke through a major barrier last week, clinching his first-ever PDC title at the age of 37. The Dutchman triumphed at Players Championship 23, defeating Germany’s Lukas Wenig in the final to finally get his hands on silverware after several near misses in recent years. For ‘The Machine Gun’, the long-awaited moment had finally arrived.

Speaking on the latest episode of Darts Draait Door, a podcast by Sportnieuws.nl, Wattimena reflected on his emotional victory and the difficult spell in his career that preceded it. But before delving into his own journey, conversation turned to the recent dip in form of Michael Smith.

“I heard Smith fell off an electric scooter as well. That’s just awful luck for the lad,” Wattimena said.

Vincent van der Voort, co-host of the podcast, picked up on the topic: “You see it with players like Smith, but also Michael van Gerwen, Joe Cullen, and Dimitri Van den Bergh—the tour doesn’t wait for anyone. It just keeps rolling on. If you fall behind, it’s tough to catch up. Jermaine, you’ve had a tough period yourself, haven’t you?”

Wattimena nodded in agreement, citing drastic weight loss as a key factor behind his slump in form. “It lasted about two and a half years,” he admitted. “I’m just grateful I had enough ranking buffer to avoid losing my Tour Card—that was my bit of luck. At the time, I’d lost a lot of weight, and quite rapidly too. But on the ProTour, you start noticing irregularities in your body—especially with all the travel—and then the weight creeps back. Once I started putting the weight back on, suddenly the darts were flying straight again.”

While a healthier lifestyle has helped many players improve their game, for Wattimena, the adjustment period proved problematic. But with that chapter now behind him, the Dutchman finally captured his maiden title—an emotional moment that saw him reduced to tears in front of the PDC cameras. “A massive weight fell off my shoulders,” he said. “It took a long time—ten and a half years.”