HUYBRECHTS STUNS FANS WITH EARPLUGS AT BELGIAN DARTS OPEN
21/03/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
KIM HUYBRECHTS stunned fans by wearing EARPLUGS despite competing on home soil at the Belgian Darts Open.
‘The Hurricane’ produced a superb display, averaging 101.76 to defeat Niko Springer 6-3 in round one at Wieze.
Huybrechts explained he used noise cancellers to stay composed on the oche in a bid to perform at his best.
Other players have taken similar measures, Gerwyn Price famously wore ear defenders at the 2023 World Championship, and Danny Noppert relied on earplugs to block out distractions at the Saudi Arabia Masters.
Huybrechts said: “This is fantastic: winning on home soil and playing well too.
“It was tense, but I actually felt I had everything under control. As a dart player you have to stay in your own bubble.
“This just works for me. The atmosphere is amazing, but if you get caught up in it, you lose focus. Your heart rate goes up, and you want to avoid that.”
World No.61 Huybrechts praised the fans inside the Oktoberhallen arena as he continues his strong run of form.
Huybrechts has made a positive start to the year, reaching the last 16 at Players Championship Four and Six.
He added: “We have the most respectful crowd in the world. When it’s the other way around, I’m sometimes up against thousands of fans rooting against me.
“Here you feel support without it becoming unsporting. That makes it really special.”
The Belgian thrower will now face Josh Rock on Saturday evening for a spot in the third round of the European Tour event.
