Underdog Diogo Portela overwhelmed by emotions
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Emotional scenes at the Darts World Cup in London. The Brazilian Diogo Portela suffered a crying fit on stage after his victory on the first day of the tournament. The past few months had hit the 32-year-old hard.
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“My private life was a nightmare”
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The darts professor was completely at the end. He had just survived the first round with a confident 3-0 win, then he burst into tears. Where thousands of people otherwise celebrated a lavish party, there was suddenly a depressed mood. “My private life was a nightmare. This lockdown was not good for me. I lost so many people,” Portela said in an interview with Sky Sports. Tears rolled down on the microphone again.
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Portela’s homeland is one of the countries worst hit by the outbreak of the pandemic: Over 180,000 people have died in Brazil as a result of the coronavirus.
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“I’ve been thinking about quitting darts,” said Portela about his difficult 2020. “That was a victory for me. I can still keep up,” he said after the surprise triumph in front of almost 1000 fans.
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The underdog dedicated the victory to his daughter, who had turned six months the day before. Her birth had complications and the little one had to stay in hospital for a long time after the birth. A very stressful time for the athlete “I don’t wish my worst enemy what I had to go through. It was cruel. It would have been my last game.” After the surprise victory, Diogo Portela wants to keep fighting, for his daughter and for all the loved ones he has lost recently.
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The South American had always been kicked out in the first round for the past three years. Now he meets England’s fellow favorites Glen Durrant in the second round.
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