I’m a darts star who shocked the planet at the PDC World Championship – now I manage a motorcycle shop
WYNAND HAVENGA rose to fame with his major upsets.
Now he is spending his life making customers happy.
Havenga, 58, was born in Cape Town in 1965 and took up darts professionally in his early 20s.
But it was not until 2006 that he came into the sport's public eye when he saw off 100 others to be crowned South African Masters champion.
A year later, though, he was the talk of town thanks to his stunning run on debut at the 2007 PDC World Championships.
Havenga's victory at his home tournament saw him given a chance to perform on the global stage - and he did exactly that.
READ MORE IN DARTS
He came through qualifying and stunned No26 seed Steve Maish in round one.
And 'Springbok' backed it up in stunning fashion, mounting an incredible comeback in round two to come from 3-0 down to dump 2006 runner-up and No7 seed Peter Manley out.
Havenga eventually lost in the last 16 despite boasting a better average than Darren Webster, earning the South African £8,500 in prize money.
But his magical run had captured many fans' hearts - thanks in part to his unique and enthusiastic celebration style.
Most read in Sport
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
That even prompted his very own supporters club - dubbed the Havenga Boys.
But they did not have much to cheer about for long as a shoulder injury curtailed their hero's career and he quit the PDC in 2009.
He did launch his own darts with brand Unicorn Darts - a 19g tungsten-nickel alloy.
But these days he is far more used to being around much heavier metal.
That is because Darts News state Havenga is the manager of a motorcycle shop.
It is understood he sells the machines in his hometown of Cape Town - although Havenga has kept a low public profile since leaving the darts spotlight.
