I landed in England five years ago with just suitcase and no house – now I’m preparing for World Darts Championships

AUSSIE darts sensation Damon Heta can't believe that he gets to play darts for a living.

The 37-year-old tungsten thrower from Down Under is prepping for the fast-approaching World Championship after a whirlwind five-year rise to the top.

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Heta, nicknamed 'The Heat', has been playing darts since 2007 but saw things really kick off when he upped sticks and swapped Australia for England in 2019.

The Perth-born thrower moved to the UK with just a single suitcase, nowhere to live and hopes of playing darts professionally.

Thankfully he knew friend and fellow Aussie darts player Kyle Anderson who helped him settle into life in England.

Heta worked his way through PDC Q-School before bursting onto the scene at the 2019 Brisbane Darts Masters in front of a home crowd of Aussies.

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Defeating James Wade, Gary Anderson, Simon Whitlock and Rob Cross on the way to success, he became just the second regional qualifier to lift a World Series of Darts title.

The next year Heta earned his PDC Tour card as well as his first ranking title, the Players Championship in Niedernhausen.

But his greatest feat to date is winning the 2022 World Cup of Darts alongside Simon Whitlock.

The pair dedicated their victory to compatriot Anderson who had heartbreakingly passed away the year before following a battle with kidney failure.

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Now Heta is ranked as the 11th best player in the world and is preparing to play in his sixth World Championship.

And the 2024 UK Open semi-finalist still can't believe he's able to call it his job, taking to social media site X to reflect on his journey so far.

He wrote: "Landed in England five years ago today to get myself ready for my debut worlds and Q-School.

"Moved to a country we had never been to with only a suitcase each, nowhere to live & the only person we knew was Kyle.

"It’s crazy to think I play darts for a living!"

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