PDC World Darts Championship 2026: David Munyua stuns world number 18 Mike de Decker in first round
Debutant Kenyan David Munyua caused a shock at the PDC World Championship when he came from two sets down to beat world No. 18 Mike de Decker in a stunning end to Thursday’s afternoon session.
Although Munyua had acquitted herself well on her debut at Alexandra Palace, an upset looked extremely unlikely should the Belgian advance in a winning set.
Munyua, who works as a veterinarian, missed the dart to win the second set, did the same in the third set but came back to win, trailing in the fourth set and fighting back to win the match in the fifth set.
The 30-year-old, who qualified in the African Darts Group Qualifiers, was broken in the first leg of the decider but equalized with a surprising outside bull-triple 20-gold eye 135 finish before losing his nerve to wrap up the victory.
In an onstage interview after the match, Munyua described his win as “amazing” and said it was “a huge moment for the sport, for Africa and for Kenya”.
Former BDO world champion Mark Webster said on Sky Sports: “That’s what the World Championship is all about. Put the stats aside in terms of grand averages – it was drama from start to finish.
“David put in a great performance. This supports that we are going global with this sport.”
The defeat continued De Decker’s disappointing record at the World Championships; The 2024 World Grand Prix winner is yet to advance past the last 64 in six matches at Alexandra Palace.
