He wanted to cut it out and reserve a week in the green, but difficult when you are about to become the first Frenchman in history to participate in the professional world darts championships. So after a few days of thalassotherapy, Thibault Tricole agreed to return to his journey which will take him to the PDC World Dart Championship, organized by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), from this Friday in London, until the 3 next January.
The pressure is slowly starting to be felt, even if the 34-year-old Frenchman does not begin the competition until next Monday in a first round from which the 32 best players in the world rankings are exempt. “But there are 96 left, and we will compete in a three-set, knockout match and the first round can last up to a week,” he explains. Each set is won after three winning sets, which makes matches a minimum of nine sets.
The pioneer of a poorly developed discipline
His presence among the 128 best players in the world is the realization of what was only a “dream, five or six years ago”, and has become a “goal” for several months. He has been oscillating between the professional world for several years, via invitations, and the amateur world, in which he already participated in the first world championships in 2020.
“I have always considered myself a pioneer, as one should be in any sport. And particularly in France where the discipline is not very developed,” he notes. While hoping that his participation in the next PDC World Dart Championship will shed a little more light on his sport, more developed in Anglo-Saxon countries than in France. “I still see more and more licensees, the broadcast on the team channel and my few good appearances necessarily play a little role,” he says happily.
“There is everything to create”
A pioneer who nevertheless does not take the lead, it was by preparing for the amateur world championships that he managed to qualify to play in the legendary Alexandra Palace in London. “There was this qualifying tournament for the Western European countries. But I was mainly going there to prepare for the amateur world championships with the intention of winning them this time. The draw was rather favorable and I went from strength to strength. On paper it’s not a scandal or a surprise, but it was still a little unexpected to have a string of performances and pass such a milestone,” he confides.
The reality of a dart player in France does not allow him to get excited anyway. Although he has been living “adequately” for two years thanks to sponsors, Thibault Tricole has no coach, no press officer, no manager. So he manages everything on his own, like his two hours of daily training. “I kind of made up my mind, and I became a bit of a lone wolf. I have no references, except abroad, I have no one to ask for advice. There is everything to create, it’s sometimes complicated, but that’s also what makes me proud. So that other French people follow in my footsteps and ask me for advice,” he hopes.
40 weekends far from Brittany
For example, he organized and financed each of the 40 weekends which pushed him far from his Brittany during this year 2023, when 90% of professional players have a manager to manage all these extras. Family support is therefore fundamental. “There’s not much time to spend away from home anymore, family is very important. My partner supports me and it’s very important because it’s difficult to announce that you want to make a living from darts when there is no structure, no support in France,” recalls Thibault Tricole.
Fortunately, these world championships will not prevent him from spending Christmas with his family since the tournament takes a break between the 23rd and 26th, due to end-of-year celebrations. “If I pass the first round on Monday, I will face the 8th in the world on December 21 and then the next round will not be until the 27th, that gives me time to make a return trip to Brittany,” he smiles. A victory in the first round which would allow him to pocket 7,500 pounds, when the price of an amateur world champion title peaks at 50,000 pounds, compared to 500,000 for the professional.
And for this, he counts on his French flair. “I’m going to rely on my little amateur television podium experience, and this Frenchie side will serve me well. I’m quite popular in England, even though I’m French. They are happy to see that their sport is also practiced on the other side of the Channel, by their best enemies. And in general the public always supports the outsider, so that’s good for me,” he projects. His goal is to get through the first round, “I don’t have much to lose anyway, and everything to gain,” he recalls. Having made this dream a reality is already his victory.