'Crazy' reaction after vet Munyua upsets De Decker

Kenya's David Munyua says there has been a "crazy" reaction in his home country to his shock victory over world number 18 Mike de Decker at the PDC World Championship.

The 30-year-old works full-time as a vet and has made his first trip outside Africa to compete at Alexandra Palace.

He became the first player from Kenya to appear at the tournament and made a sensational comeback to beat Belgian De Decker - who won one of the PDC's major televised titles, the World Grand Prix, as recently as October 2024.

Munyua's World Championship debut looked like ending in defeat when he lost the first two sets, including missing darts to take the second.

However, the Kenyan, who qualified via the African Darts Group Qualifier, was able to win the next two in the deciding legs to level the match.

He was broken in the first leg of the decider but produced a fantastic 135 checkout in the final set which provided the platform for him to complete a stunning 3-2 comeback.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live shortly after his win, Munyua said: "It's going crazy back in my country - everybody is like 'we did it'. It's a great feeling.

"Earlier today, most of the people were saying 'this is the day now, are you ready?'

"Darts is a simple game. You don't need acres of land to play - you only need a room with a board and the darts.

"I hope it's going to be as big [in Africa] as it is here."

Munyua said he was grateful for the support of his work colleagues, who have allowed him to follow his sporting dreams alongside his career, and hopes he can be an "example" to the "great players" coming through in east Africa.

Reflecting on hitting the winning double, he added: "I could not feel my hands. I was trying to be relaxed. I had to calm down as much as I could and try to concentrate because the crowd was going crazy about it.

"It was either do-or-die because Mike is a top player."

• Van Gerwen through to round two at PDC Worlds
• World Darts Championship - Draw, seeds, prize money
• World Darts Championship 2026 schedule and results

'During the day, I'm dealing with my animals, but at night, I'm playing darts'

The drama was not restricted to the dart board, with the underdog also having to do battle with the infamous 'Ally Pally' wasp.

The insect landed on his face midway through his first round match and although there was speculation he had killed the wasp, Munyua said he actually tried to put it in his pocket.

"I got it. I tried to put it in my pocket to stay with me because I love going through tough things. I don't know how it escaped," he added.

"I've seen how it's been interfering with other players. You need maximum concentration, you need to be there yourself, so when you have a little disturbance, you need to get over it.

"I tried to get it to come my way and stay with me."

The wasp has stolen the limelight at this year's World Championship, popping up during Nitin Kumar's win over Richard Veenstra and Martin Lukeman's meeting with Max Hopp earlier in the week.

Jurjen van der Velde wielded a can of insect spray ahead of his match with Danny Noppert but for Munyua, the wasp's interruption was all in a day's work.

"Being a veterinarian in my country and also a darts player, there are so many challenges you need to face to combine the both," he continued.

"During the day, I'm dealing with my animals, but at night, I'm playing darts. I'm on call a lot of the time, so I can be throwing darts and then get a call."

Munyua will face Dutchman Kevin Doets or England's Matthew Dennant in the second round, who play on Friday.

Meanwhile, De Decker praised Munyua on social media for his victory but was unhappy with the conduct of the Alexandra Palace crowd during the match.

He posted on Instagram: "Well done to David but the crowd wow... booing and whistling shouldn't be something that's normal or supported.

"First to complain when it happens to UK players in Europe but then doing the exact same thing when the tournament is in the UK."