Darts star Cameron Menzies cries in World Championship loss at dying of ‘my dad my hero’
Cameron Menzies was in tears during his World Darts Championship defeat to Leonard Gates and later shared an emotional post on social media about his dad
Cameron Menzies shared a heart-wrenching post about his dad after crying during his loss to Leonard Gates at the World Darts Championship.
The 35-year-old star, who had been exhibiting top form, suffered a crushing defeat in the opening round as Gates sealed a 3-1 win to advance to the next stage. Throughout the match at Alexandra Palace, an emotional Menzies struggled to hold back tears, wiping his eyes constantly towards the end and appearing distraught as Gates nailed the decisive dart.
Following the match, Menzies took to X with a since-deleted photo showing him with his father in hospital, captioned: “I didn’t wanna post this man… my dad my hero.”
Menzies, who is the partner of fellow darts star Fallon Sherrock, faced difficulty landing trebles in the last set and fluffed 27 out of 32 double chances, reports the Express. Ironic cheers from some spectators at Alexandra Palace added pressure as Menzies’ gameplay collapsed and Gates capitalised on this, claiming an unanticipated win.
Reflecting on Menzies’ performance, Glen Durrant, a three-time Lakeside champion, told Sky Sports: “On the floor, Cammy has been the best player in the room. He’s the one that has stood out. It feels like it is a different game when you go on stage.”
“It is just not happening for him. He is full of emotion. When you look at his preparation, he will have to work out if he is to find a solution about why he doesn’t play on the stage as he does on the floor. He’s extremely talented.”
“But at the end, it was a little worrying, I didn’t know if he was getting upset, if the heat was getting to him. It was a pretty bizarre ending.”After the match, Gates, who is set to face Nathan Aspinall in the upcoming round, was seen consoling Menzies. The American darts player shared the advice he gave: “I told him to use the energy, don’t look at it as a negative, look at it as a positive.
“Just use that energy, play a lot more darts, get better, keep showing the PDC what we can do. I told him: ‘I hope you can block it out and play the game. Don’t get involved with negativity as someone is cheering against you. Focus on what you are doing. Go forward’. I use that energy to block it out’.”
He continued: “It’s one of those things, you have to block out certain things. Do what you are there to do. I went back to the basics, throw your darts, check the scores.”
Gates concluded with a hopeful note, saying, “I hope I said things that will help him in his game, personally in life also. He has to figure out what it is. If he needs more help, I hope I said something that will build his confidence.”
