Reason behind Jonny Clayton’s limp as Premier League star performs by way of agony
Jonny Clayton’s Premier League performances in Nottingham raised more questions than just his darting success as he was seen hobbling around the stage
Jonny Clayton suffered with gout in Nottingham
Jonny Clayton battled through the pain in Nottingham as the Premier League leader fought through the pain in Night 6 of the tournament.
The Welshman, 51, entered the night top of the table and continued his impeccable form in the quarter-final as he beat Michael van Gerwen before taking on Stephen Bunting in the semi-final. But the most noticeable thing about his games was the limp he wobbled around the stage with.
Clayton had been forced to manage problems with inflammation in his joints and suffers from painful gout in his ankles – owing to the hobble.
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‘The Ferret’ previously played rugby and continued to work as a plasterer until only a couple of years ago despite his darting success. He has been reluctant to talk about the problem but opened up about his struggles on the eve of the Nottingham night.
Speaking to The Sun, Clayton said: “You could fall off a step and break an arm. You can’t overthink life. You take it as it comes.
“I’ve got gout. I suffer with gout. That just turns up as and when it wants to. It’s part of life, isn’t it?
“If you break an arm, you break an arm. It is in my ankles usually. It’s a painful thing when it’s there, but you’ve just got to get on with it.
“It lets you know that it’s there. Don’t you worry about that. You know that it’s there.
“But adrenaline is massive. You just carry on through it.”
Clayton overcame the pain to beat Bunting 6-3 and reach the final for the second week running where he will face the winner of the other semi-final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries.
The 2021 Premier League champion has not missed out on Finals night at The O2 in his three previous years in the competition, and has made a brilliant start to the 2026 campaign.
