Stefan Bellmont beats five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld to reach the second round of the World Darts Championship in London for the first time.
17.12.2025, 22:20
18.12.2025, 09:38
SDA
In the run-up to the world's most prestigious darts tournament, Stefan Bellmont said that he wanted to enjoy his second appearance at the World Darts Championship in the legendary Alexandra Palace in London above all else and not even think about what might happen when the spotlight is on him on stage.
The Zug native from Cham is not a man of big words and grandiose announcements. Secretly, however, the 36-year-old must have been dreaming of an evening like the one he experienced on Wednesday: he beat an icon of darts, Raymond van Barneveld, 3:0. The 58-year-old Dutchman is a five-time world champion, and although he had temporarily ended his career and only returned to the tour a few years ago, his name alone causes a certain awe in the scene.
In this respect, it would hardly have been surprising if Bellmont had acted nervously in view of the starting position and had not been able to play his best game in this unusual setting. But the player from central Switzerland, who opened his own darts venue in Cham in the summer of 2024 and has been able to focus fully on the sport ever since, never gave the impression that he was not up to the task.
In total, he only conceded two legs in the three sets, and with an average of 91.36 points, he showed extremely strong nerves despite the spotlight and the vociferous fans of van Barneveld (the "Barney Army"). Bellmont won eight legs in a row and showed a strong performance in the decisive moments with a check-out rate of almost 40 percent.
Consistency at a high level
The first victory on the World Championship stage is another highlight in an already remarkably strong season. Bellmont earned his second World Championship participation thanks to exceptional consistency. On the Challenge Tour, the second-highest tournament series on the darts circuit, he won three tournaments and was ultimately crowned the overall winner.
A success that not only earned him a ticket to the most prestigious darts tournament in the world, but also a tour card that will entitle him to play in most tournaments on the professional tour over the next two years.
Bellmont's life on the professional tour officially begins in January, where he will try to win as much prize money as possible in tournaments throughout Europe over the next 24 months. Because Bellmont will only be able to keep his Tour Card if he is ranked in the top 64 of the world rankings in two years' time.
Until then, however, his World Championship adventure continues. In the next round, Bellmont (world number 111) will face Australian Damon Heta, the world number 16, on Sunday.
