Five months with no win: German talent finally earns prize money again on ProTour as astonishing run ends

Kai Gotthardt provided one of German darts’ biggest stories at the end of 2024. With a series of sensational performances in the Super League, he battled through a string of nail-biting encounters to lift the title and seal his place at the World Darts Championship.

At Alexandra Palace, the debutant stunned Alan Soutar in a match remembered as much for the drama as the darts – a broken barrel and subsequent break in play caused confusion before Gotthardt kept his cool to progress. He impressed again in round two against Stephen Bunting, even holding darts to move 2–0 up in sets, before the eventual semi-finalist turned the tide to complete a 3–1 victory.

The momentum carried into 2025. At European Q-School, Gotthardt secured a coveted Tour Card with victory on the second day, officially beginning his professional journey. He made an immediate impact at Players Championship 1, defeating Rhys Griffin 6–2, before adding scalps such as Ryan Searle and Max Hopp en route to two board finals. Yet, time and again, the fine margins went against him, with a string of 6–5 and 6–4 defeats stalling his progress.

From March, the run of form collapsed into a prolonged drought. Gotthardt went months without earning prize money on the ProTour and failed to qualify for a single European Tour event. A sequence of 17 consecutive first-round exits at Players Championship level painted a sobering picture of life on tour.

But on August 26, the breakthrough finally came. The Esslingen thrower produced a commanding 6–0 whitewash of Carl Sneyd, not dropping a single leg to end his five-month wait for victory. It was a much-needed release of pressure. Albeit he went on to lose to Justin Hood in the next round.