World’s oldest darts star who once served Phil Taylor as a chef reveals secrets to his World Championship success
PAUL LIM claims the secret to his oche longevity is stress-free happy thoughts and aims to roll back the year against darts’ young upstarts.
The oldest flinger in town returns to Ally Pally for the first time in four years when he plays Swede Jeffrey de Graaf tonight.
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Paul Lim is the oldest player at this year’s World ChampionshipCredit: Getty
At 71, he will extend his record as the oldest player to compete at the PDC World Championship.
Darts is in a transformative moment where the top stars are 18-year-old Luke Littler, European champion Gian van Veen, 23, and 30-year-old Luke Humphries — whom Lim could meet in round two.
In his eighth decade, the Singapore star does not take himself too seriously and channels the words of American singer Bobby McFerrin and his 1988 US No 1 hit.
Lim told SunSport: “You know that song, Don’t Worry, Be Happy. That’s what it is for me.
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“There are so many things that’s happening in this world right now.
“There’s so many people that are less fortunate and honestly, when we’re able to still play darts and enjoy time with friends, just enjoy it.
“If you want to become a professional darts player, then you have to lay down what you need to do. You need to put in a lot of effort. You need to commit.
“I’ve written an autobiography for next year. The title will be: What If and Why Not? That’s basically what my life is all about.
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“I take care of myself a little bit more these days. My eating habits. My conditioning.
“I can’t be like when I was in my early 20s and 30s where after a tournament, a Saturday night, ‘hey boys, let’s go party and drink’.
“I can’t party until three or four in the morning and then play darts the next day.
“I get tired a lot more easily. Longer days are not suitable for me. I have to have discipline and condition myself.”
Lim is a former chef — he once served food for pals Phil Taylor and Eric Bristow — but quit cooking for darts.
Though unlikely to be involved in the PDC World Championship aged 80, this is NOT a final appearance.
Lim, speaking at the launch of his Generation 9 Target Darts, added: “It seems like I’m going to go on forever. I say: ‘No, someday it has to stop anyway.’
“But the day is not right now. This is definitely not my last year.”
+ To find out more about Paul Lim’s G9 darts, please visit www.target-darts.co.uk
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