If you haven’t heard of Gaelle Dept yet, give it a minute. The 32-year-old Belgian is quickly becoming one of darts’ most interesting stories – and not just because she looks more like she belongs on a catwalk than in a pub league.
Beneath the gloss is a fierce competitor with focus, humour, and a knack for reinvention. While the PDC stars were polishing trophies in Dortmund, Dept was in Budapest, stepping onto the stage at the WDF World Darts Festival – just three years after throwing her first dart.
“I’ve been through a lot, but I love doing the game so much,” she told Het Nieuwsblad. Her Instagram bio reads: “You might know me from darts.” Chances are, you soon will.
By day, she’s an IT project manager at Umicore – cool, precise, unflappable. By night, she swaps spreadsheets for treble twenties. “Sports are in my blood,” she says. “I play tennis, volleyball and I run regularly – most recently in Chicago – but my heart is in darts. I’ve always had some coordination, and because of that I got away with it pretty quickly, I guess.”
And if she seems familiar beyond the oche, it might be because she once dated snooker world champion Luca Brecel. “That was about three and a half years ago now,” she says. “We broke up without a fight and each went our own way. I experienced the life of a top athlete up close, with all the travel, tournaments and pressure that comes with it. That was a learning period, but it’s a closed chapter.”
His loss! Now she’s settled, with a partner and a young son. “I like to keep my private life somewhat in the shade. Now it’s my turn to grow, in my own way.”
Her introduction to darts was pure chance. When her volleyball schedule changed, she suddenly had Friday nights free. “A colleague asked if I wanted to join a league in a pub. At first I was a bit skeptical about it. I didn’t immediately have the best image of that world, but I thought, why not?”
It didn’t take long for the bug to bite. She won her first game, hit a 180 shortly after, and finished on 105 like it was nothing. “People were wondering: who the hell is this Gaelle?” she laughs.
But success brings pressure. “In the back round, people started saying to ‘watch out for me.’ And suddenly I felt the expectations, even from myself. I started training, but then things just didn’t go as well. Darts is a mental game – I learned that quickly.”
Fast-forward to Budapest and Dept was taking aim at her biggest event yet – the WDF World Masters, with €5,000 on the line. How she got there, though, was bittersweet. “I was fifth in the Belgian ranking after six tournaments. The top four got to go to Budapest, so I was just one leg short. In the end, I still got a spot because of the death of Peggy van Meir, who had finished third. She died unexpectedly in August, at the age of just 48, of a brain hemorrhage. That was a huge shock. Peggy was a wonderful person, always positive and loved by everyone. I will always call myself number five. This tournament I am playing for her.”
Peggy’s family travelled with her to Hungary. “We’re taking her energy with us. She had never flown herself before, so that makes it extra special. As a team, we will definitely keep her in mind.”
Dept’s approach is grounded. “I have improved tremendously in recent years. Technically, but especially mentally. I try to get the best out of it in the moment. If I feel 80 percent, I try to get 81 percent out of it. I don’t compare myself to others anymore – that only creates frustration. The last arrow counts, that’s my motto.”
She’s also realistic. “Obviously I can’t match someone like Beau Greaves – but I don’t have to. I just want to see how far I can hit. Every match is a learning experience.”
Still, darts remains a boys’ club. “It’s a huge man’s world,” she admits. “With women, it is difficult to get a large field of participants together. Whereas with men, 100 entries are the norm, with women it is often a challenge to find 16 or 24 participants.”
Dept often plays against men, and it’s toughened her up. “You learn faster, you have to be sharper. And most men like to give tips – although I don’t take them from everyone,” she laughs. “Too much information isn’t good either. But when someone like Mike De Decker says something, I do listen. Because of him I use different flights now, and my arrows have been flying much better since then.”
The abuse doesn’t faze her. “I’ve been called out for ‘blonde tuttebel’ at times. And when I win, some say it’s ‘luck.’ There is a lot of jealousy, especially among women, but I let that go. Sometimes someone does shout something in a bar, especially if alcohol is involved. But I let that pass easily. I enjoy the game far too much to let that affect me.”
Even diabetes hasn’t slowed her down. “I’ve had it for 21 years now, and yet it remains a challenge. Every day, every match is different. Adrenaline can make my sugar suddenly skyrocket, or just drop. That makes it difficult.”
She doesn’t drink, keeps fruit on hand, and runs before events. “On the morning of a tournament, I often go running. That helps control my sugar better and I feel more energetic. The effect lasts for hours. It’s my little panacea.”
Sounds like absolutely none of the lads on the PDC Pro Tour. Her World Masters campaign may have ended early, but her rise is anything but over. In just three years, she’s gone from casual pub player to international competitor – balancing family, work, and chronic illness with focus, humour, and resilience.
“My goal? Just keep growing,” she smiles. “As long as I’m having fun, I’ll keep throwing. And who knows where that will end up. The last arrow counts – always.”
—–ENDS—–
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