‘Comeback is always greater than the setback’ — Luke Humphries says he is living by his motto now more than ever after lifting his maiden World Championship title at Alexandra Palace to add to his incredible recent major haul.
Nicknamed ‘Cool Hand’ in reference to the 1967 prison-drama film Cool Hand Luke, the former roofer has taken no prisoners, winning 19 successive matches as he also triumphed in the prestigious World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship tournaments.
Everybody in life goes through some sort of struggle. Everybody’s struggles are different. Everybody has different ways and different reasons for their struggles, but we all go through it and we all try and manage it as best as we possibly can. Luke Humphries on everyday struggles in life
Humphries 28, swears by his motto having overcome many obstacles in his life and rings true now more than ever.
“It feels that much greater because of the adversity that I’ve gone through,” explained a weary-eyed Humphries, who was in the midst of his media duties the morning after his 7–4 triumph against 16-year-old Luke Littler at Alexandra Palace.
“Many people have had to go through a lot worse but I want to use it as a positive to say if there are struggles in your life you can still go on and achieve great things. You don’t have to be world champion to feel like you’ve achieved something great. It’s just the small things for people, there can be greatness in that.
“I’ve had to work incredibly hard to breakthrough it and I have to definitely pay homage to my family and friends for helping me through it but it’s definitely worth all the hard work I’ve gone through for that trophy.”
When Humphries suffered an anxiety attack midway through a tournament in 2019, he could not have thought five years later he would be holing aloft The Sid Waddell Trophy.
The Newbury thrower was playing in the German Open when he was suddenly immobilised at 5–2 up against James Wade and went on to lose 6–5.
It was his darkest moment and he felt so bad he seriously considered quitting the sport he loves, even suffering from a recurring obsession with having a heart attack, which saw his anxiety spiral.
But it proved a pivotal moment in his career and was the start of a journey that came to a memorable climax on Wednesday night when he solidified his position as the new world No 1.
“It’s just a fear of panic that overcomes you and you feel the worst is going to happen. I used to get palpitations and I still get those feelings every now and then,” he said.
“The anxiety I suffered never goes away, ever, but it’s important you learn the signs of the triggers and learn to manage it.
“It’s just a thing that can happen at any moment. You know when you feel it because you start to come over a little heavy chested and faintish, but the important thing I did was breath through it.
“There were times when I felt I just wanted to get off stage but you can’t do that so that was the hardest thing for me, but over the last three to four years I’ve managed to do that in a professional way and I try not to let it affect my performances anymore.
“I’ve grown to manage it and worked hard to get to a position where I notice these signs and battle them quite quickly.
“It’s important to open up on the subject and talk about it because I feel as if it’s not talked about enough but obviously it’s up to people about whether they want to share their feelings or not.
“Everybody in life goes through some sort of struggle. Everybody’s struggles are different. Everybody has different ways and different reasons for their struggles, but we all go through it and we all try and manage it as best as we possibly can.”
Humphries also explained how using an exercise bike and healthy eating enabled him to shed four stone as part of an incredible body transformation which began during lockdown in 2021 as part of a bid to improve his stamina and performances.
Named Luke by his father as homage to his beloved Leeds (Leeds United Kings of Europe) a career in sport always seemed likely, but for a while it seemed he was destined to follow in his dad Mark’s footsteps by becoming a roofer.
“Family is the most important thing in life. Being world champion is amazing but family is more important and they’ve been a massive boost to my career. They’ve supported me everywhere I’ve gone,” said Humphries, who welcomed baby boy Rowan in 2022 with his partner, Kayley.
“I used to be a roofer and I really enjoyed it with my dad. Being a professional darts player is better but I enjoyed the years I worked for Malone Roofing from the age of 16 until I was 22 and I will definitely go back and take the trophy to my old work because my dad and brother still works there and I’ve got a great relationship with the company.
“My old boss Paul Hughes will hope my dad doesn’t retire because he’s a really, really good roofer. He’s worked there for 42 years since he was 16.”
The last few months have been a “whirlwind” for Humphries which has seen him become a four-time major champion, world champion and world number one.
“Life comes at you fast — it really does,” smiled Humphries.
“All the attention is going to be on me now. You’re going to have a lot more commitments to fulfil but being world champion means more than anything.”
And what about teenage prodigy Littler. Can he dominate the game or are we in an era where darts cannot be not ruled by one player anymore?
“That’s a possibility,” admitted Humphries. “But we’re in an era where not one player is dominating the sport anymore.
“If Luke gets better than he already is then it could be a possibility but he’s going to face a lot of great players this year. He’s not faced everyone, he’s only faced six players so far.
“Then you’ve got Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright. All these players are tough competitors but if he keeps getting better then he could dominate the sport for sure but it’s up to me to get even better and not allow that to happen.
“I think we’re in the greatest era of darts because it’s not dominated by one person anymore. It’s a very, very open sport and I think a lot of players believe they can win and I’m talking right down to the top 64 and that’s what makes it so open.”
The 2024 Premier League Darts season will begin in Cardiff on February 1 with the Play-Offs to take place at London’s O2 Arena at the end of May.
Berlin, Glasgow, Newcastle and Exeter host events in February, before the Premier League roadshow heads to Brighton, Nottingham, Dublin and Belfast in March.
Manchester, Birmingham, Rotterdam and Liverpool are the cities for April’s Premier League nights, before Aberdeen, Leeds, Sheffield are the venues ahead of the final in London on May 25.
Head to the official Mental Health Foundation website for more information Premier League Darts returns to Sky Sports on Thursday, February 1 as Cardiff kicks off the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs on Thursday, May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW
