Paul Lim won his first round match at the WDF World Championship (Image: Getty)
Paul Lim proved he is still a class act by winning his first round match at the WDF World Championship. In his first appearance at the Lakeside tournament in 30 years, the ‘Singapore Slinger’ brushed aside Dutchman Moreno Blom in straight sets with an average of just over 90.
The icon has a storied history with the Lakeside, hitting the first-ever nine-dart finish at a World Championship in 1990. That was still three years before the creation of the WDC (which later became the PDC).
He has been a regular at PDC events over the last three decades, reaching the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay and the last 16 of the World Grand Prix in the 1990s. He has also made numerous appearance at the PDC World Championship, going agonisingly close to hitting another nine-darter against Gary Anderson at Alexandra Palace in 2017.
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Lim has also represented his country at the PDC World Cup of Darts. Despite his advancing years, he is still a quality player, although he admits his return to Lakeside will probably be the final World Championship of his marathon career.
Speaking after his victory over Blom, Lim told “Being here brings back a lot of good memories. Those early days with the BDO and WDF were so memorable. That’s what created me and I’m very thankful.
“When I was told by the WDF that I could possibly qualify [for this tournament], I got excited. Whether it’s the BDO or the WDF World Championship, it doesn’t matter to me, it is the World Championship.
Paul Lim says the WDF World Championship may be his last major event as a player (Image: Tungsten Tales)
“I’m honoured to be here because I feel this the last time that I play in a tournament like this. I’m going to be 71 soon. I will still be involved in darts but I’ll do a lot more with the youth in Asia. I believe the future of darts is in the youth.”
On his performance, he added: “I’m glad that I played well. If you lose and your opponent plays better, that is life, but I want to play good.
“Because if I play good, I have a good chance of winning. If I play bad and my average is bad, I’m going to lose regardless.”