Monday, June 29, 2026
Column CM161
TDouble 15, Double 15 – the 60th birthday of a legend
Yes, it is true – Canadian John Part is celebrating his 60th birthday today!
John Part was born in Toronto on June 29, 1966 – the 180th day of the year. He likes to jokingly attribute his career path to his birth date, suggesting he had no choice but to become a professional darts player – especially since, at the age of five, he was struck by a dart that had flown over from a neighbor’s property. A few years later, while on vacation, he threw his first darts in a local pub, before receiving a dartboard as a gift from his parents in 1987.
Darts was not exactly a popular sport in Canada at the time, although Ontario was home to Canadian darts pioneer Bob Sinneave, who qualified for the World Masters for the first time in 1979 and the BDO World Championship in 1982.
By his own account, Part was a child who always enjoyed aiming and throwing things. The act of aiming and hitting a target fascinated him from the start and he began to practice – though, initially out of ignorance, he threw at the board from a distance of nine feet (2.74m instead of the standard 2.37m).
Part had little interest in his university studies; instead, he preferred to practice and looked for a pub where he could compete against other players. There were no sponsors – he funded his darts career through a variety of jobs and his tournament winnings.
Before ever stepping up to the oche in a tournament in England, Part competed at various BDO ranking events held in North America, facing many of the top players of the time.
In 1994 – the first year following the split, when the era’s top players no longer competed in the BDO World Championship – he defeated an injured Bobby George to become the first non-European to claim the world title at the Lakeside Country Club.
While he was well-respected among his fellow darts players, it took years for him to gain public recognition in North America – partly because the sport simply wasn’t a topic of interest there and had no television presence. Part was far better known in England than in his home country.
His world title was followed by further good placings in WDF and ADO tournaments in North America until he switched to the PDC in 1997.
His first few years there passed without notable success, until he reached the World Championship final in 2001 and the finals of the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix in 2002.
In 2003, he defeated Phil Taylor – the dominant player of the era, against whom he had lost 0–7 in 2001 – in the World Championship final. For Part this first PDC world title secured at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, remains the “best” of his world championship titles. Only Part (in 2003) and Raymond van Barneveld (in 2007) managed to beat Taylor at his peak in a World Championship. By the time Gary Anderson won in 2015 and Rob Cross in 2018, Taylor’s years of total dominance were already over.
The years 2004-2009 were the Canadian’s most successful period in the PDC. He reached the UK Open final in 2004 and the World Matchplay final in 2005, won the Las Vegas Desert Classic in 2006, and made the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam of Darts in 2007. Nevertheless, it came as a complete surprise when Part secured the world title once again in 2008 at the very first World Championship held at Alexandra Palace.
It was a strange tournament; numerous players – including Phil Taylor, who was beaten in the quarterfinals by Wayne Mardle – got ill. Mardle who became favorite after his victory over Taylor, lost his semi-final to the completely unknown Kirk Shepherd – likely because he could not handle the pressure. Part kept his composure far better in the final, decisively beating Shepherd 7-2.
The 2008 world title was the Canadian’s last major success in the PDC and he eventually lost his Tour Card. Even so, Part remains a familiar face, albeit primarily as a commentator for Sky. He still competes in tournaments however and reached the final of a CDC Tour event this June.
Part took his first steps as a sports pundit at the BDO World Championship after commentator Sid Waddell had moved to the PDC. Even during his prime years in the PDC, Part continued to commentate the BDO World Championship until he himself joined Sky Sports as an expert analyst.
Part is an outstanding and highly knowledgeable pundit who possesses what he considers crucial for a commentator – a sense of humor. His banter, particularly with Wayne Mardle and Rod Studd, ensures that the commentary never becomes a dry and tedious affair.
Part enjoys challenging his colleagues – and indeed anyone he speaks with – through this banter, and one can easily get caught in the traps set by the quick-witted and astute Canadian. It is not without reason that Mardle has described him as “the most intelligent player.” Studds – who calls calling “The Professor” – shares a similar view.
Of course, Part is a natural-born expert not only because he loves to talk, but also because he genuinely has something to say. I frequently witnessed fellow players seeking his advice during his active career.
Yet, as much as Part enjoys talking and commentating, what he loves most is simply playing darts. His fascination with aiming and hitting the target – the attempt to propel the dart exactly where you want it to go in that act which looks so effortless when you are truly in the flow, yet is so difficult to achieve – has never lost its hold on him.
And dead honest, for a non-European, winning three world titles at three different venues is an incredible feat, one that will surely not be surpassed for a long time to come, if ever.
