Damon Heta sent Alexandra Palace into meltdown on Friday afternoon after landing a sensational nine-dart finish that sparked a £60,000 payout to a random fan in the crowd at the PDC World Darts Championship.
The surprising moment came during his second round clash against English player Luke Woodhouse.
But the Australian was unable to build on his momentum as British darts star Woodhouse came back from 3-1 down to take nine straight darts legs and advance to the last 16 of the World Darts Championship for the first time. in his career.
Despite the defeat, Heta lifted the roof of Ally Pally and will walk away with £60,000 in his pocket, following his epic nine-darter feat.
For this year's PDC World Darts Championship, Power of rice will pay a total of £180,000 for every nine darts scored during the tournamentand the funds will be divided into three parts.
The player who bowls the perfect leg will receive £60,000, one lucky fan at Alexandra Palace will also receive a check for £60,000, while the betting company will also donate £60,000 to Prostate Cancer UK, the tournament's official charity partner. .
A fan in the audience wearing a yellow trilby hat and a Christmas themed jacket was chosen as the lucky winner of the huge cash prize.
Damon Heta scored a sensational nine-dart finish on Friday afternoon at Alexandra Palace
The world number 9 won £60k with the perfect leg, and Paddy Power is now also set to donate another 60k to charity and a random fan in the crowd at Ally Pally.
Amusingly, another fan had been seen holding a sign behind the man that read Wayne Mardle's iconic “I can't talk” line, which the legendary darts commentator had said after Michael Smith's nine-dart throw at the World Championships. 2023.
Paddy Power will also donate £1,000 for every 180 thrown during this year's championship as part of its Bigger180 campaign.
Heta's perfect leg was the second nine-darter finish of the tournament. As of this morning, Paddy Power had raised over £500,000 for charity and 462,180 had been minted in the tournament before the start of this afternoon's session.
The Australian started poorly against Woodhouse, with Heta conceding the first set, only to be broken by his opponent late in the first set.
He hit back in the second period with an outstanding pace of play, hitting two 180s and the final 141 in style.
The 37-year-old Australian, originally from Perth, jumped onto the stage in jubilation and at one point even appeared to jump off the stage.
Her opponent, Woodhouse, looked as excited as Heta, jumping up and down the stage in jubilation, before showing his class, giving the Australian star a hug and raising his hand in the air to celebrate his sensational feat.
The Brit, 36, has been praised for his reaction to the moment online, with one fan writing: “Luke Woodhouse's celebration after Heta's nine-dart throw is class.”
'Big congratulations to Luke Woodhouse – he's really excited for his partner! I love the sports spirit and the excitement!' another wrote in X.
Paddy Power later revealed who had won the £60,000 prize.
Heta (left) and Luke Woodhouse (right) embraced on stage after the epic moment.
After Heta lost a set in the first exchange, her nine-dart finish allowed her to rally behind her British opponent to draw 1-1.
Excited by the sensational finale, the Australian, originally from Perth, jumped off the stage excitedly.
“The way Luke Woodhouse celebrates Damon Heta's nine-dart throw and raises his hand afterwards is what makes this sport so great,” one wrote.
'The camaraderie in darts is incredible. Just look at the way Luke Woodhouse celebrated his opponent's nine darts earlier,” said another.
Heta's best result at the World Darts Championship came earlier this year, where he was eliminated in the round of 16 in January.
More to follow…