Darts legend Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor to retire at end of 2024
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Phil Taylor will retire from the sport at the end of next season's World Seniors Darts Tour.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Phil Taylor is to retire at the end of next season’s World Seniors Darts Tour, the record 16-time world champion announced on Nov 20.
The 63-year-old, nicknamed “The Power”, is widely regarded as the greatest darts player of all time, winning a record 85 major titles.
He retired in 2018 but returned to play at the 2022 World Seniors Darts Championship.
“I’ll always love performing to the best of my ability and I do still have that eye for it, but time waits for no man and I know now is the right time to step away and let someone else have a go,” Taylor said on Instagram.
“It’s been an unbelievable journey over the past 35 years and I’ve loved every minute of it.”
He added: “I’m going to be working just as hard as I always have to make sure I give the fans what they want and go out on top.”
Taylor had dominated his sport for more than two decades after he won his first world championship title in 1990.
He won the event eight consecutive times from 1995 to 2002 and also reached 14 straight finals.
Alongside his record 85 major titles, the Englishman was world No. 1 for 13 years in total and he was twice nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
On the World Seniors Darts Tour, which consists of 11 events, Taylor reached the quarter-finals in 2022 and 2023.
The 2024 season will end on Nov 17 at the Crucible Club in Newbury.
“Phil is one of the greatest sports people the UK has ever produced and we would like to place on record how grateful we are that he decided to come out of retirement at the beginning of our project,” said Billy Lovell of the World Seniors Darts Tour.
“We’re sure his final year on tour with us will be great fun.”
REUTERS
