Paul LimA fairy tale farewell illuminated the year 2024 WDF World Championships. The 70-year-old daring legend was unable to win his first world title at the competition Lake however as Shane McGuirk in the final he was a step too far, winning 6-3.
Over the years, “The Singapore Slinger” has left an indelible mark on the world of darting. Making his World Championship debut in 1982 (13 years before McGuirk was born!) when he lost in the first round to Dave Whitcombe, Lim famously hit his first ever nine darter on the Lakeside stage during the 1990 edition, earning a bonus prize of 52 000 pounds (equivalent to about £150,000 today, Ed.) for its excellence.
Before this week, however, Lim had never really gone deep in the World Championship, with his only quarter-final appearance in 1990 being the best of his previous 26 attempts. But there was magic in the air at Lakeside this week as Lim comfortably defeated Moreno Blom in straight sets before stopping good friend Kai-Fan Leung in Round 2. Gary Stone then fell in five sets of the last 16 before Kim defeated Jarno Bottenberg 4-3 in a thrilling quarter-final and then secured a place in the final with a dominant straight-sets victory over Jason Brandon.
In a nervy opener to the final, Lim missed a dart in the first set and McGuirk punished him by forcing him to move one ahead. The Irish ace seemed to calm down from there, winning the next three sets unanswered to take a 4-0 lead for the second time. But Lim wasn’t done yet. He fought back and won three of the next four sets to maintain a 5-3 lead. However, when a final break halted the Singaporean’s momentum, McGuirk was able to refocus and secure a set 9 victory.
On the post-match stage, Lim shared his immediate reaction. “What can I say?” Lim laughs. “All I can say is thank you! I want to thank the audience, the people who were here were amazing.”
“I’ve been there, but I always say: never give up! And that’s what I do in life, never give up,” the 70-year-old Singaporean continued. “I’ll be here next year!” Lim concludes by teasing the possibility of hosting another World Cup after previously announcing it was his last.
