Paul Krohne dived onto the podium on his stomach and tapped the floor with both hands in disbelief, while his opponent collapsed on the stage and couldn't believe what had happened on the dartboard in the ten minutes before.
Appropriately, Krohne knocked three times. After losing 7:8 to Kai Gotthardt in one of the most memorable Super League finals in 2024, he was surprisingly eliminated last year as tournament favorite despite a 98 average in the round of 16 against Liam Maendl-Lawrence. But now it was finally done. The 25-year-old from Münster won the Darts Super League in Hildesheim in spectacular fashion. He turned a 0:6 deficit against Jan Schmidt into an 8:7 – it was the biggest comeback in the 15-year history of Germany's World Cup qualification.
“For the first time in the history of the PDC Europe Super League we have a top ranking,” TV commentator and Master of Ceremonies Philip Brzezinski announced on stage at the start.
In fact, the event, which has been held since 2013, no longer has much in common with the backroom flair of previous years. In 2015, media representatives still had to call a pub in Mönchengladbach to find out the match day results. In 2019, the final round was played where the separate lounge area for the players was located on Friday evening. Martin Schindler, now the German number one, lost to Nico Kurz. Yes, a lot has happened in German darts since then.
Both win six legs in a row
Krohne and the ultimately pitiful Schmidt entered the race for the ticket to London in Hildesheim on Tuesday together with 22 other players. The round of 16 finalists for Thursday evening were determined in four groups of six over two days. The quarterfinals, semifinals and final followed on Friday. Sport1 and DAZN broadcast live. The sporting quality and staging were right; the format has proven itself.
And the spectators in the hall and on TV saw an extraordinary final. Krohne had a good average of 91.6 after four legs, but was 0:4 behind. The Münster player missed too many chances on the double fields against the Herforder, who was three years his junior, and even had to accept the 0:5 and 0:6.
The organizing PDC Europe must have looked forward to the impending end with an uneasy feeling. A final victory for Schmidt against Krohne would have exposed a gap in the regulations of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The qualification criteria would have been unclear.
Schmidt will play the final of the PDC Youth Championship in Minehead on November 30th. If he wins against the Englishman Cam Crabtree, he would be there as junior world champion in London, which would mean that Krohne would have subsequently punched his ticket for the big PDC World Championship as the losing finalist. Since the Münster native was competing at the World Darts Federation (WDF) World Championship two days earlier, he would not have been eligible to play in London.
Krohne could have gambled and withdrawn his participation in the WDF and then hoped for Schmidt's success. In the event of a defeat, however, he would have been left completely empty-handed. "I wouldn't have done that," he said later in an interview with WELT, "I wouldn't have gambled and would have gone to the WDF World Cup instead. Absolutely clear."
But who would have gone to London then? The Super League third place? They were also stumped at PDC Europe. A game for third place was not scheduled. Lots of question marks - but ultimately only theory, as Krohne averted humiliation and won leg after leg after the 0:6, while his opponent increasingly suspected that the title could actually still be in danger. When Krohne made it 6:6 on Tops, Schmidt scratched his head. What was going on here?
Schmidt broke to make it 7:6 after losing six legs, but then failed to get his throw through. Krohne countered to make it 7:7, started the decider with 140 and 180 points and was 60 points remaining after twelve darts. He checked to win on double 10. Wow.
Krohne is the eighth qualified German at the World Cup, which begins on December 11th. Martin Schindler, Niko Springer, Ricardo Pietreczko, Gabriel Clemens, Max Hopp, Lukas Wenig and Daniel Klose had previously secured participation. If Schmidt wins his final on November 30th, he will also be there. If he loses the final against Cam Crabtree, who has already qualified on the Development Tour, Leon Weber will replace the Englishman in the junior rankings. In any case, at least nine Germans will be at Alexandra Palace.
Schmidt is heading to England early on Saturday. In the evening he will appear on the big stage for the first time at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton. In the last match of the evening he will face Chris Dobey, number 16 in the world, at the major. Crazy days.
Darts Super League, results
Quarterfinals
René Eidams – Tim Scholz 6:4
Paul Krohne – Dragutin Horvat 6:4
Jan Schmidt – Lenny Schlüter 6:5
Marcel Hausotter – Florian Price 6:5
Semifinals
René Eidams – Paul Krohne 3:7
Jan Schmidt – Marcel Hausotter 7:1
Final
