Paul Krohne secured his qualification for the World Darts Championship on Friday in Hildesheim by overcoming a 0:6 deficit against Jan Schmidt to win 8:7 in the Darts Super League final.
The 25-year-old from Münster executed the largest comeback in the 15-year history of the German tournament, sealing the win shortly after midnight by checking out on double-10, as reported by MOPO.
- Krohne joins the German contingent for the tournament at Alexandra Palace, expanding the national representation alongside Martin Schindler and Gabriel Clemens.
- Schmidt faces a rapid turnaround, traveling to Wolverhampton on Saturday morning to compete against Chris Dobey at the Grand Slam of Darts.
- Potential qualification scenarios depended on Schmidt’s upcoming performance in the PDC Youth Championship final against Cam Crabtree.
Krohne found himself trailing 0:4 with an average of 91.6 before falling further behind at 0:5 and 0:6 against the younger Herforder player, WELT reported. The match differed from the 2024 Super League final where Krohne lost 7:8 to Kai Gotthardt.
Schmidt capitalised on missed opportunities on the outer ring during the opening exchanges. However, Krohne reeled off six consecutive legs to level the score at 6:6, MOPO noted.
“Ich hatte beim Stand von 0:6 wirklich nicht mehr an mich geglaubt, das Match noch 8:7 zu gewinnen war eigentlich nicht mehr im Bereich des Möglichen. Aber jetzt ist mein Traum wahr geworden. Wahnsinn”.
Schmidt broke throw to lead 7:6, but failed to hold his own throw in the subsequent leg. Krohne responded with scores of 140 and 180 in the deciding leg to leave 60 remaining after twelve darts.
| Player | Tournament Stage | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Krohne | Final | 8 Legs (Winner) |
| Jan Schmidt | Final | 7 Legs |
| René Eidams | Semi-final | Eliminated |
| Marcel Hausotter | Semi-final | Eliminated |
Krohne becomes the eighth German player confirmed for the World Darts Championship beginning on December 11. He joins Martin Schindler, Niko Springer, Ricardo Pietreczko, Gabriel Clemens, Max Hopp, Lukas Wenig, and Daniel Klose.
“Nur weil ich dich gewinnen lassen habe”.
joked Dragutin Horvat after being eliminated by Krohne in the quarter-finals, embracing the champion while more than 600 spectators celebrated.
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