Heine Uuldriks, a relatively unknown darter from Groningen, has seen his life turned upside down after a stunning debut at the Dutch Darts Championship on the European Tour. The former amateur footballer qualified for the event on home soil and immediately impressed, notably with a spectacular win over Ricardo Pietreczko. Speaking on the podcast Darts Draait Door with Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort, Uuldriks reflected on his whirlwind breakthrough.
“It has started to sink in a little now, because the whole thing was one big whirlwind,” Uuldriks said. “Everyone was messaging me the entire following week. My phone was red-hot. It was a fantastic experience, of course. Especially when you see how many people around us followed it all.” Despite the joy, Uuldriks was left frustrated by his second-round defeat to Brendan Dolan. “When you’re up there, you want to win. Of course, a weekend like that is fantastic and enjoyable, but in the end you get the chance to make it 5-1. I haven’t watched that match back yet either. I watched the one I won, but not the one I lost. It’s still too fresh. It hurts that I didn’t win it in the end.” Van der Voort appreciated that attitude: “That’s how it is in sport, isn’t it? You have to feel gutted too. In the end, you have to learn from it and see if you can make sure it doesn’t happen again next time. It was all new, of course, and then you find yourself in that situation. You really had him, but you couldn’t get it done.”
Uuldriks’s journey began on Thursday, when he had to earn his place through the qualifying event. “We had to start at 10:00, so I thought it was pretty early. I’d already booked a hotel nearby for the night before. I live in Groningen, of course, so travelling on the day would have been out of the question.” The qualifying day went smoothly: Uuldriks won his opening match 6-0, then faced a familiar opponent from his region. “In the second round I played Marcel Otter, someone from our area. He can really throw a good dart. That was easily the toughest match of the day, and I won it 6-5. After that, things were pretty straightforward, at least in terms of the scores: 6-1 and 6-2.” Once qualified, a practical problem arose: his hotel was booked for just one night. “I thought I’d go back to the hotel and extend my stay for another night. But everywhere was full, of course. We tried all sorts of things and eventually managed to find another hotel. But that was only for one night as well.”
On the main stage, Uuldriks found himself 3-0 down against Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko. “That was a really bizarre match for me. I went 3-0 down and I think he was averaging 115 or 120 at that point. You think: ‘Wow, if this carries on, we’ll be back home in no time.’” But roared on by the crowd, he turned the match around. “I managed to turn it around, and with the crowd and everything going on around you, you somehow drag yourself through it. That was incredible.” He added: “The crowd helped a little too. I was full of adrenaline. Of course, you’re nervous inside, but I think I won that match on adrenaline.” Van der Voort was impressed: “He was the big unknown, of course, and he was the one who did best. An average of 98 against a Pietreczko who was playing really well. I thought he was the best of the qualifiers.”
What makes Uuldriks’s story unusual is that darts was not his main sport for years. “I played at the highest amateur level for about seven or eight years. I played for Harkemase Boys and also spent a year at Staphorst. Football was always my priority.” He continued: “I always played darts, entered tournaments and got pretty far. But it was never my main sport, so I couldn’t always give it my full attention.” That has now changed. Uuldriks ended his football career last season and has since devoted more time to darts. “Over the past two or three months, I’ve simply spent more time playing darts. I’ve also signed up for a league near us, a Super League. You can see the standard rise very quickly.” Van der Voort sees this as an interesting development: “As a personal trainer, you naturally work a lot with discipline. And that’s something many darts players lack.” Uuldriks runs his own personal training business. “I do a lot of exercise myself, of course, and try to guide other people and teach them discipline. That’s how I earn my living.” He added: “Most professionals spend a few hours a day at the board, of course. That takes discipline too. But I do think being fitter physically can also affect you mentally.”
Uuldriks is already looking ahead to the ADC World Championship in Portsmouth, where he faces Nathalie Gilbert in his opening match. Vlottes noted that Gilbert competes on the Women’s Series and recorded a highest match average of around 85 this year. Van der Voort was clear: “If that was her best match, then you know you have to win. If you’ve just averaged 98 on the European Tour, on the biggest stage, this simply has to be a win.” He warned: “You have to prepare for the worst. Assume she plays very well and hits an 85 average. That’s what you have to expect. If she falls short, that’s a bonus.” Uuldriks agreed: “In the end, I just have to throw well and win the match. If she’s averaged 85 once, you have to assume she can do it again. And I think I can reach that level.” But his ambitions go beyond the first round: “I’m not going somewhere just to reach the second or third round. It’s a tournament, and I can win it. That’s always what you aim for.” A win could set up a meeting with Boris Krcmar. “That would be a great challenge, of course. It’s a short format, and I think a lot is possible.” Van der Voort noted: “There’s a lot of pressure. The mentally strongest players come through.”
The ADC World Championship is not Uuldriks’ only major goal. He has also entered Q-School, where players can try to win a PDC Tour Card in January. His move from amateur football to darts is increasingly looking like a serious pursuit. For now, Uuldriks is focused on Portsmouth. If he wins his opening match, he will not play again until Friday. “I play my first match on Sunday, and if I win, I don’t play again until Friday. I’ll just go home. Portsmouth doesn’t strike me as a particularly great town. I’ll head back there on Thursday.”
