Old is gold for Singapore’s 70-year-old darts legend Paul Lim

SINGAPORE – Like many senior citizens, Singapore darts legend Paul Lim sees floaters, has double vision and is considering having his cataract removed.

Since the start of the year, the 70-year-old has required glasses to play darts.

But in front of a dartboard, he remains a marksman, capable of hitting a bull’s eye smaller than a five-cent coin 2.37 metres away.

In the past week, he had stunned the world with his sensational run to become the oldest man in a World Darts Championship final.

In Surrey, England, he fought valiantly in a 6-3 loss to 29-year-old Irishman Shane McGuirk after

a three-hour battle on Dec 8

and picked up a £16,000 (S$27,365) runner-up’s cheque.

His average score for a turn of three darts at the world championship was 85.71, significantly higher than the 80.75 he managed in the 1990 edition.

This takes talent, but also commitment and love for the sport.

Lim told The Straits Times: “If I stop playing darts now, there’s nothing to look forward to. I’ll be sitting at home, watching TV, and I’ll grow old very fast.

“But my passion for darts keeps me alive and active, and I’m thankful to have this sport to play because if it were soccer or rugby, I won’t be able to do it any more.”

Lim was once a proficient bowler and a seven-handicapper in golf, and can still put together rounds in the 90s. He also likes to cook and fish, and swims to build stamina, but nothing grips him quite like darts.

After completing national service in the 1970s, he enrolled in a cookery course in England, where he became hooked on darts at the age of 20 while playing the game with his friends at a pub.

Six years later, Lim returned to Singapore to work as a chef at the now-defunct Marco Polo Hotel, before taking his culinary expertise to Papua New Guinea at the age of 28 in 1982, when he also made his world championship debut.

He competed for the South Pacific nation and then the United States, after being invited to play on the darts circuit. He worked as a part-time chef on weekdays and played in tournaments on weekends.

Then came his big break in 1990, when he made history by becoming the first player to record a perfect nine-dart finish at the world championship.

Twice, he hit the maximum score of 180 with a turn of three darts, before he found the triple 20, triple 19, and double 12 to run 501 to exactly zero to win the leg against Irishman Jack McKenna.

For his feat, Lim won £52,000 and a lifetime of recognition from the darting world. More than 30 years on, fans still ask for wefies, which he will oblige with a fatherly smile.

Fellow darts player Harith Lim, 54, hailed Lim as “everyone’s role model”.

“Where are you going to find another 70-year-old with the fire and quality to play at the top? We have seen world champions come and go, but Paul is still here, he just keeps going,” said Harith, who partnered Lim at the World Cup of Darts, where they notched upsets against powerhouses Scotland in 2017 and Wales in 2019.

“The only difference is he was very serious and no-nonsense when he was younger, and sometimes a remark would annoy him, but now he is so soft and sweet, and he would say, ‘Aiyah, never mind lah’.”

There have also been other changes.

While he is used to three full days of competition in electronic darts tournaments, such as the upcoming Jan 17-19 Dartslive Singapore Open, Lim has had to cut his training regimen from up to 10 hours to under three hours a day, as body aches set in and recovery takes longer.

He said: “I’ve played darts for 50 years, and I still want to strive to be better.

“The standard has grown a lot now, but I still want to win every tournament I play in.

“I know that’s not possible, but I want people to know that I tried, I’m committed and I’m determined. At my age, it’s one day at a time now, but I will play until I cannot.”

His positive attitude has rubbed off on the younger generation, including Leslie Lee, one of Singapore’s top electronic darts players, who noted that Lim never gives up, down to the last dart.

“Sometimes he produces a miraculous comeback, sometimes he doesn’t, but the never-say-die attitude and respect for the game are things we can all learn from,” said the 37-year-old.

Even Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has taken notice of Lim’s world championship run. In a Facebook post on Dec 9, he said: “Paul has proved that age is no barrier to greatness.

“His unwavering spirit is a reminder to persevere and never give up, no matter the obstacles; and to keep chasing our dreams with hard work and determination.”

Such encouragement, as well as support from family, fans and sponsors are what keeps Lim going.

“Sometimes when I’m not playing well, I calm myself down by thinking about my granddaughters. That’s my secret,” said Lim, who has two sons and three granddaughters – the oldest is four and the youngest is just eight months old.

The sport’s future generation is also dear to his heart. He plans to expand darts’ reach to more youths in Asia with electronic darts organisation Dartslive.

He said: “I was watching the boys’ and girls’ competition at the world championship and I was so impressed. We have great players in Asia, and a wide population, but we don’t have as many opportunities here compared to other parts of the world.

“So, I want to encourage more youngsters to play, and also increase the pool of coaches with the Dartslive Q-School certified trainer course so that more people can teach and learn how to play.”