Michael Smith wants no distractions on his return to Alexandra Palace – after one fan’s costume became the funniest thing he’s ever seen.
The former world champion has left no stone unturned in his bid to replicate his 2023 win that made Toni Kroos one of his supporters.
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Smith became only the second player in history to hit a nine-darter in a PDC World Championship final in his 7-4 win over Michael van Gerwen in one of the sport’s greatest-ever games.
His victory was made sweeter by his painful defeat to Peter Wright 12 months prior which meant he had fallen at the final stage twice.
However, Smith was almost undone by an unlikely source during the opening match of his eventual Ally Pally tournament triumph.
He secured an impressive 3-0 victory over Nathan Rafferty in December 2022 and did not lose a leg against the Northern Irishman.
The 34-year-old showed fans a sign of what was to come with a 96 average and three 180s sealing his place in round three.
During an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com, Smith has incredibly revealed he had been finding it hard to focus on a leg.
Not because music stars Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi were in the crowd, but because another group of lads had stolen the spotlight.
Four fans were dressed as the Jamaican four-man bobsled team – 10 months after the country’s athletes in the event returned to the Olympic Games for the first time since the 1988 race that inspired Disney’s Cool Runnings.
Smith told talkSPORT: “I never look out into the crowd but I remember once I did and then I literally saw running up and down the aisles were these like little green helmets.
“Then as they come out at the top I realised it was the Jamaican bobsleigh team and it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.
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“For some reason at the Ally Pally, they like to dress up properly and just to see the Jamaican bobsleigh team running up and down all the aisles and the fans, it just made me giggle.
“It was hard to focus then on that leg just thinking about them running behind me.”
Fortunately for Smith, he stayed on course and ultimately prevailed in the final a month later but has since struggled to hit those heights.
His title defence last December saw him crash out before the quarter-finals after admitting to spending the year celebrating.
He was then eliminated in the first round of the Players Championship in February after a shock defeat to Richard Veenstra.
Smith served up a timely reminder of his qualities by picking up his first ranking title in 11 months in May.
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The former World No.1 then won the World Cup of Darts alongside reigning PDC champion Luke Humphries.
Despite this, Smith will fall out of the top ten should he suffer an early defeat at Ally Pally due to the PDC’s two-year Order of Merit system.
To keep his eyes on the prize, ‘Bully Boy’ has built an epic man cave with a darts board to hone his craft.
He has also decked out the walls with images of him kissing the Sid Waddell Trophy and the score of his Ally Pally win over Mighty Mike.
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The father-of-two explained his sons only use the boards inside the house, with his games room adding to the regular stints practising after-hours at his mum and dad’s pub in St Helens‘.
He added to talkSPORT: “Kasper’s got one his height in his bedroom, and Junior has one at his height.
“He’s playing full distance. But that’s them, they can do whatever they want. That’s why I’ve just built a game room.
“My dartboard is in there so I’m actually leaving the house.
“I still practice at the pub, but this is for when the kids have finished their training, like rugby or football or whatever they’re doing.
“I’m getting home late, so at 8:30 at night. It takes me half an hour to get to the pub.
“We had this built so at least I can come in here then at 9 o’clock at night, do a couple more hours, back in the house, and then go straight to bed.
“At least I’m leaving the house and going to work. If I’m stuck in the house I’m not going to work. There are too many distractions.
“Seeing what’s on Telly, ‘Loose Women’ might come on or something. I only want to look across and watch it.”
Michael Smith spoke to talkSPORT.com via AceOdds.
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Highlights include: