He didn’t pick up a set of darts until I was 24 years old, now he’s a millionaire world champion

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Darts is a unique sport in that you don’t have to be a lifelong devotee to the game to reach the top.

If you want to be a footballer, you have to lead a very rigid lifestyle, you have to have the right physical make up and, barring a few rare occasions, you have to be in an academy from a young age.

However, in darts, there’s no framework like that. You can start playing at any age, and with enough natural talent and enough practice, you can make it.

There are a few stories of players who started playing darts late, but perhaps one of the most spectacular stories is that of Gary Anderson.

The Flying Scotsman is considered one of the greatest players of all-time, and that’s in spite of the fact he first threw a dart at the age of 24.

Gary Anderson’s incredible rise

Anderson had an incredible rise to the top of the game, becoming a two-time World Champion, but, this was never a career path he considered until he was into his adulthood.

Anderson told The Guardian that he only started playing darts at the age of 24, and he would later tell Unicorn that his first three visits were something very special.

“It’s true.I only started playing because I was skint. I was always into golf, snooker and pool but it was too expensive for me. I was at a caravan park, which my mate’s dad owned and I didn’t have a £1 coin to put in the pool table. There was a dart board on the site, so I picked up these old looking darts and had a throw,” Anderson said.

“I couldn’t believe what happened but my first nine darts were 140, 180 and 140 and that was that. I guess there was no going back. But it was pure chance and the way I threw the darts all those years ago at the caravan park, is exactly the way that I throw them today.”

Most players will never have a run of nine darts like that, but Anderson seemed to just have this innate ability to place the darts where he wants them to go.

What Luke Humphries has said about Gary Anderson

Anderson knew from day one that he had something when it came to the game of darts, and that talent has carried him a long way.

Anderson has won over £5m in prize money during his illustrious career, and he’s a two-time world champion.

In fact, Anderson has won almost every major honour the sport has to offer.

Anderson is still up there with the best to this day. He’s so good that Luke Humphries recently called him the best in the world.

Anderson recently threw a career-best average on the Pro Tour.

“I think in my eyes he’s the best player in the world if I’m being honest,” Humphries said.

“I think it’s easier for me to sit there and say I am, but if you’re going off stats and potential, Gary Anderson is the best player in the world right now.”

Anderson will head to Alexandra Palace in December with hopes of winning a third World Darts Championship, and based on the form he has shown in 2024, you’d be a fool to write off his chances.