World Darts Championship 2026: Arno Merk Opens Up on Emotional Redemption After Five-Year Hiatus

Arno Merk became the first man to walk onto the iconic Alexandra Palace stage at the 2026 World Darts Championship, and the 33-year-old debutant delivered far more than just the opening win of the tournament. 

After beating former Premier League star Kim Huybrechts 3–1, Merk not only booked a potential showdown with either Noa-Lynn van Leuven or two-time world champion Peter Wright but also revealed the emotional redemption story behind his long-awaited breakthrough moment.

Early Promise 

For many darts fans, Merk is a name they once expected to see on the sport’s biggest stages far earlier in his career. 

Back in 2011, the German prodigy, then just 18, made his only appearance at the BDO World Championship, heavily touted as one of darts’ brightest rising stars. 

Yet the predicted ascent never materialised. Instead, Merk drifted away from the game, disappearing from the competitive scene for years and seemingly destined to never reach the PDC stage so many once thought inevitable.

But now he finally has.

Five-Year Hiatus 

And after his win over Huybrechts, Merk opened up on exactly why his career stalled, and why darts vanished from his life for half a decade.

"There were some hate comments on the internet after my worlds match. Then I took a year off break."

"I restarted and was like top four in Germany, but I wasn't nominated for the World Cup and then I took a break, went to live in Italy for three years.

"All in all, I took a break for five years.”

The reasons were painfully simple: he had fallen out of love with the sport.

“When I quit, I just made the decision for me. I wasn’t motivated anymore. So, it was an easy decision.”

During that five-year hiatus, darts barely flickered in his life.

"No, I had a dart board at home in Italy, but I didn't use it, maybe one time a month for 20 minutes, but I didn't play regularly.”

So, what brought him back?

It turns out it was a spark from someone close to him.

"My best friend, he was quite talented, and I saw it and I was like, let's go to some small tournaments at the weekend and I noticed that I'm still good at darts."

"That made me hungry to get better and better and here I am."

From a forgotten prodigy to a winner on the sport’s most famous stage, Merk’s journey is one of resilience, rediscovery, and a reminder that talent never truly fades, it simply waits for the right moment to return.