On a Lakeside afternoon dipped in pure darting romance, the sporting gods finally delivered the ending the entire tungsten world had been begging for.
Her 4–1 dismantling of top seed Lerena Rietbergen didn’t just look inevitable… it felt celestial. At 66 years old, the Caribbean Queen summoned the composure and ruthlessness of a player half her age, turning the Lakeside stage into something closer to a coronation than a contest.
For a generation of fans, the question had never been if Deta would one day win it, only when. Now the wait is over, and the résumé that already towered over the sport finally has its missing jewel.
If anyone at Buckingham Palace has been paying attention, they may want to warm up the medals.
Deta Hedman, OBE — World Champion. And Damehood? At this point, it’s just paperwork.
The ladies element of the day also belonged to Turkey, as Zehra Gemi detonated a darting shockwave through the Girls’ World Final with a clinical 3–0 demolition of Ireland’s Rebecca Allen.
Her semi-final comeback over defending champion Paige Pauling had already raised eyebrows, but the final was an outright statement. Ice-cold finishing, heavy scoring, and the swagger of a player who clearly didn’t get the memo that Turkish darts isn’t supposed to be on the world map. It is now.
Gemi leaves England a world champion. She will return to Turkey a pioneer.
WDF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULTS (Womens / Girls)
Girls Final – Rebecca Allen 0-3 Zehra Gemi
Women’s Final – Lerena Rietbergen 1-4 Deta Hedman
—–ENDS—–
Images; WDF / Chris Sargeant
