Where calm met chaos: Inside David Munyua’s defining win in Belgium

Alexandra Palace in Belgium is not a place designed for composure. It is loud, chaotic and relentless, a cauldron where players are tested as much by atmosphere as by ability.

Yet on Thursday night, David Munyua navigated the World Darts Championship stage with the steady focus of someone accustomed to high-pressure environments, even if this one looked nothing like his daily routine.

By profession, Munyua is a full-time veterinarian. By performance, he looked every bit a seasoned competitor as he overturned a 2–0 deficit to defeat Belgium’s Mike De Decker, the reigning World Grand Prix champion, in one of the opening round’s most dramatic upsets.

Munyua’s match quickly turned into a test of nerve. Trailing by two sets and surrounded by the relentless energy of the Ally Pally crowd, the Kenyan appeared on the brink. A miscount in the fourth set only increased the tension.

Instead of unravelling, Munyua slowed the game down.

His response was immediate and emphatic, a perfect six-dart start followed by a decisive 135 checkout in the final set to complete the comeback and secure a 3–2 victory.

The contrast between Munyua’s day job and darts’ biggest stage is stark, but the mental demands are surprisingly similar.

In a veterinary clinic, hesitation and panic carry consequences. Precision, patience and clarity are essential.

That ability to reset, to acknowledge pressure without being consumed by it, proved decisive in a match where emotions ran high and margins were thin.

Munyua arrived at Alexandra Palace having already broken new ground as the first Kenyan to qualify for the World Darts Championship.

He secured his place by winning the African Darts Group Championship qualifier and had never travelled outside Africa before this tournament.

“It is a very big moment for the sport itself, for Africa and Kenya,” he said. “It is humbling. The sport can grow.”

Rather than leaning on symbolism, Munyua let performance speak. His win was not about participation or novelty, but about competing and beating one of the game’s elite players on the biggest stage.

Earlier on the opening night, Japan’s Motomu Sakai delivered a contrasting but equally disciplined performance, dispatching France’s Thibault Tricole 3–0 with clinical efficiency.

Together, the two debutants transformed the narrative of opening day from expectation to execution.

De Decker later criticised crowd behaviour in a social media post, but the result itself was beyond dispute: Munyua had earned his place through composure, recovery and precision under pressure.

Next, Munyua will face the winner of the match between Kevin Doets and Matthew Dennant, with expectations now recalibrated after one unforgettable night.