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Former darts champion Kevin Painter suffers from Dartitis
Former professional darts champion Kevin Painter has thrown arrows almost every day for 40 years.
Throughout his career he thrived under pressure, playing in the most prestigious competitions and taking home more than £900,000 in prize money.
But earlier this year, he went to throw a dart and it physically would not leave his hand.
“You’re in shock, I stood there for ages. I just couldn’t get my arm up to let go of the dart,” he said.
Kevin was suffering from dartitis, a mental condition where the brain stops a player from being able to release a dart.
Finding a cure would become the 57-year-old’s latest challenge.
“[Dartitis is] in the absence of any physical trauma, it’s purely psychological,” said Dr Linda Duffy, professor of psychology at Middlesex University.
From 1982 to 1987 she was ranked women’s world number one and also experienced dartitis.
“I used to combat it with extra practice. It was heard of back in the day, but not many people spoke about it,” she said.
Dartitis can affect all players, professional or amateur.
Jack Langston, a darts referee and online content creator, was 12 when he first experienced the condition.
“There was a little pause just before I threw the dart,” he said.
It was barely noticeable at first but eventually it became so bad he would take 60 seconds to throw three darts.
By the age of 13, he was forced to quit and at the time, considered his darts career to be over.
“You’re turning up and getting beat by people you know you should be beating,” he said.
“It’s so demoralising. It’s a real mental struggle.”
Jack Langston has documented his experience with dartitis on social media
Every case is different, and there is no one single cause
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