Why is Chris Hoy presenting the Ballon d’Art darts trophy?
SIR CHRIS HOY will make an emotional appearance at when he presents the trophy to the winner of the Ballon d’Art at Ally Pally.
The terminally-ill Scotsman, 48, has been invited by Paddy Power to the final of the 2024-25 PDC World Darts Championship on Friday, January 3.
The six-time Olympic champion cyclist will hand out the trophy to the player who throws the most 180s throughout the 16-day tournament.
Last year a tumour was found in Hoy’s shoulder and a second scan found primary cancer in his prostate, which has metastasised to his bones.
In February, he made public he was undergoing treatment, which includes chemotherapy, but then in October, he announced it was stage-four cancer.
His involvement in The BIGGER 180 campaign, organised in conjunction with Prostate Cancer UK, is to try to raise awareness of the 30-second online risk checker.
The hope is that, come the end of the Worlds, more than 180,000 men will have taken action before it is too late.
Hoy – who recently did a charity cycle ride around Cambodia – said: “This isn’t about medals or records. It’s about saving lives.
“If sharing my story gets just one person to check their risk or book a screening, then it’s all been worth it.
“I didn’t have any symptoms until it was too late.
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“By the time I felt pain, it wasn’t in my prostate anymore – it was secondary cancer in my bones.
“If I’d thought to check earlier, maybe I’d have caught it in time.
World Darts Championship - top stories
READ MORE on all the build-up to the Ally Pally extravaganza...
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- All the action as it happens in our LIVE BLOG
- Everything you need to know about the Ally Pally extravaganza
- How much prize money can be won?
- What is the format for the tournament?
- Who are the Sky Sports presenters and pundits?
- How much do players and crowd win for a nine-darter?
- Gerwyn Price’s tattoos
- The Ally Pally wasp
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“That’s why this campaign is so important – so others don’t end up in the same situation.
“Sport is where men connect, laugh and bond.
“It’s also the perfect place to deliver an important message – don’t wait, act now.
“If we can get blokes talking about their health at Ally Pally, between pints and 180s, then we’ve already won.”
Throughout these Worlds, Irish bookmakers Paddy Power will give £1,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for every 180 scored.
Every time a nine-darter is achieved, there will be an added £180,000 bonus – split evenly between the player, Prostate Cancer UK and a lucky fan in the crowd.
Punters should not leave the arena if that happens because a camera will spin around the room and randomly pick out one person out of 3,300 who will get the dosh.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK, with one in eight diagnosed during their lifetime.
Hoy added: “By the time my kids are grown, I want prostate cancer to have a completely different story.
“What we do now isn’t just for us – it’s for the next generation.
“Together, we’re paving the way for a brighter future.”
List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of Darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
- 1994 – Dennis Priestley
- 1995 – Phil Taylor
- 1996 – Phil Taylor (2)
- 1997 – Phil Taylor (3)
- 1998 – Phil Taylor (4)
- 1999 – Phil Taylor (5)
- 2000 – Phil Taylor (6)
- 2001 – Phil Taylor (7)
- 2002 – Phil Taylor (8)
- 2003 – John Part
- 2004 – Phil Taylor (9)
- 2005 – Phil Taylor (10)
- 2006 – Phil Taylor (11)
- 2007 – Raymond van Barneveld
- 2008 – John Part (2)
- 2009 – Phil Taylor (12)
- 2010 – Phil Taylor (13)
- 2011 – Adrian Lewis
- 2012 – Adrian Lewis (2)
- 2013 – Phil Taylor (14)
- 2014 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2015 – Gary Anderson
- 2016 – Gary Anderson (2)
- 2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2)
- 2018 – Rob Cross
- 2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3)
- 2020 – Peter Wright
- 2021 – Gerwyn Price
- 2022 – Peter Wright (2)
- 2023 – Michael Smith
- 2024 – Luke Humphries
Most World Titles
- 14 – Phil Taylor
- 3 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
- 1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries