Apr 11, 2019 (Japan Today) - Described as the Phil Taylor of women's darts, Japan's Mikuru Suzuki already has plans to dominate the sport after becoming the first Asian player to capture a world title.
The deadeye 37-year-old -- known as "The Miracle" in a play on her first name -- is slowly getting used to her new celebrity following a shock victory at the BDO world championship in January.
"It really didn't sink in until I got back to Japan," Suzuki told AFP in an interview.
"There were fans waiting for me at the airport holding a banner. That's when it first hit me, the scale of what I had achieved -- it was a dream come true," she added. "Being called world champion is special but I don't want to stop at one world title, I want to win many more."
Suzuki did not drop a set on her way to the title in a blur of tungsten trickery that darts legend Taylor would have been proud of.
Her 3-0 blowout of Englishwoman Lorraine Winstanley in the final, which included a 148 checkout and back-to-back 180s, capped a magical week at Lakeside for Japan's darts sensation.
A late bloomer in a game once associated with beer bellies and smoky pubs, Suzuki began playing darts at 26 and admits she didn't always pack such a punch.
"At first I sucked at it," grinned the bubbly Shikoku native, who worked in a department store selling clothes and cosmetics before her unorthodox career switch. "But that's what got me hooked -- I was determined to make the darts fly straight. Though I never thought I would turn pro."
