Daring Munyua out to write another history in UK

Kenya's David Munyua during the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in London, England, on December 18, 2025. [AFP]

Kenya’s top-seeded darter, David Munyua, has warned his opponents to get ready for more shockers at the ongoing World Championships in the United Kingdom.

He said he’s not intimidated by top names in the global championships but will take a match at a time in the knockout tournament.

This came after Munyao defeated world number 18 darter Mike de Decker of Belgium 3-2 in a mouthwatering match to cruise into the second round of the most lucrative darts competition globally, a feat that has never been achieved by any top Kenyan darter in the country’s darts history.

Not even Kenya’s legend Robert Ngiringacha reached these levels.

“It’s one match at a time in this knockout event, and I’m not under any pressure against any darter, and I'm not underestimating anybody. The way I took the first match is the same way subsequent matches will be tackled,” Munyua told Standard Sports on phone from London yesterday.

His qualification into the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) World Championships came as a surprise to his South African markers during the African Global Qualifiers in Nairobi this year.

While his opponents thought that his qualification into the global event at the continental qualifiers was a fluke, he believed he was equal to the same task at the top-level action.

Yesterday, the 30-year-old veterinary doctor who works at Murang’a County said he was in the UK for serious business.

“We came here (London) for serious business and real action, and as I said, I repeat, it’s a match at a time in the fight for top honours,” he insisted. 

By winning the opening match, Munyua has disappointed his critics in equal measure, and from now onwards he’s focused on upcoming matches, not the win against Deckar.

Decker is an experienced player ranked eightieth (18th) by PDC, the world darts governing body.

The match was played on the best of three in the five-round encounter.

During the match, Munyua scored a total of 180 points with three darts three times, while the Belgian made it five times.

In all five rounds, Munyua’s rate of dominating the match stood at 35.29 percent while that of Decker was at 24.44 percent.

As a result, he stormed into the second round of the world’s premier darts championships against the expectations of many players at home and across the world.

In the fifth round, Munyua was affected by the loud shouts and whistling and appealed for calmness in that round.