'Better crowd than in the Premier League': Wright shines in Prague
It's been a tough few months for him. Last November, when he played in the prestigious Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton, his wife Joanne was struck by major health problems. The woman who styles his hair and decorates his face before every tournament had to be hospitalised.
"It's been a terrible couple of weeks," Peter Wright told The Sun. "She was in absolute agony, she was in enormous pain. She told me she was scared she was dying. We didn't know anything, then I wasn't even allowed in the hospital for six days."
The uncertainty and bad mood took a toll on Wright's performances. He didn't even want to go to the World Championships and eventually fell out in the third round to Kim Huybrechts in his second title defence. And 2023 wasn't a good year for him either.
In the closely watched Premier League, he is by a wide margin the worst player, and he has returned from other tournaments with setbacks.
Kudos to the crowd
Despite all this, he arrived in Prague as one of the stars, and when he won his first match on Saturday he complimented the fans in Letňany: "You are a better crowd than the one in the Premier League!"
The people drove him on, and after each victory, he promised to play even better in the next game. He wasn't lying and went all the way to the title, to which his beloved wife applauded him from the stands. She, whom he kisses every time he comes on stage, is fit again.
It was a reward for the organisers of the Czech European Tour. Thanks to Wright's image, the Prague tournament has an original and iconic winner.
"Wow! I really won," Wright laughed sincerely. "Chizzy (Chisnall) won three tournaments in six months, he's always tough to deal with," he said, relieved.
But in return he got a compliment from his final opponent Dave Chisnall: "Peter played great, he deserved to win. He was a bit better in the final, but it was still a great weekend for me."
Throwing an average of over 100
The darts player nicknamed "Snakebite" took £30,000 in prize money for his Prague victory, moving him up to second in the world rankings. But he is especially happy to return to winning ways. After unpleasant family troubles, he dominated his first points tournament.
At the same time, he has been recognising for some time that quality, younger rivals are entering the scene.
"If you want to win tournaments, you need to average over 100. My numbers might go up again, but I'll have to increase them anyway, because the level of all the players around me today is really incredible. It's great for darts," said the 53-year-old Scot, currently one of the oldest among the elite.
"I'm an old guy now, but I enjoy darts, which is the main thing," said Wright, before adding: "But mainly, the crowd was unbelievable. They supported everyone! I can't wait to come back next year."
