End.

Out.

Past?

Not at all.

“I learned a lot here,” says Fabian Schmutzler after leaving the first round of the Darts World Cup.

“And I am sure that I will benefit from this experience in the future.

I'll take that with me and hopefully use it to make my game even better. "

Michael Wittershagen

Responsible for sports in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

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He was 16 years and 57 days old when he took the stage at the Alexander Palace on Thursday evening, the second youngest player in the history of the Darts World Championships, and even in England, the cradle of this sport, his name was suddenly known. Even if it wasn't flawlessly over the lips of everyone. Before his match against the Englishman Ryan Meikle he was introduced as: "Fäbiän Schmatzler".

It was 0: 3 after less than 45 minutes from the point of view of Fabian Schmutzler, who could only win three of nine legs against Meikle, the teenager from Frankfurt was clearly nervous on the big stage. Just like his enthusiasm for what he was allowed to experience there. When he hit double 18 and won his first leg, he clenched a fist and his parents cheered in the audience. “We are collected, we have processed everything super. He played super, "said his mother Pina Schmutzler on Friday morning of the FAZ:" That was a great performance by him. "

And yet Fabian Schmutzler also felt disappointment at the first moment after the game.

Sometimes he hit the 5, sometimes the 1, although he had aimed at the 20.

He made mistakes on the doubles and failed mainly because his opponent played more consistently.

“It's going again this morning, Fabian is in a good mood.

We are ready to explore London. "

The Christmas market in Hyde Park, a few sights, a few souvenirs - that's the plan for the last few hours in England's capital.

"We're looking for a hologram from London," says Pina Schmutzler: "Fabian collects holograms." In the evening he might want to say goodbye to the World Cup - as a spectator in the Alexander Palace.

On Saturday the Schmutzlers will fly back to Frankfurt, and on Monday Fabian Schmutzler will be back in the classroom of a Frankfurt high school.

“I just hope it's the same as it was before.

That nothing changes there.

It's clear that you will make one or two slogans, but in the end I hope that I will be treated the same as before, ”he said in an interview with Sport1.

The number of followers on his Instagram profile has almost tripled within a few days - to 8,500 people.

But that doesn't matter to him.

Because even if this World Cup remains a unique adventure, Fabian Schmutzler has long known what he wants to become one day: a teacher of Latin and chemistry.