- Kirk Shepherd’s journey at the 2008 World Darts Championship is an exciting story
- At age 21, Shepherd emerged from obscurity and narrowly lost in the final.
- Shepherd is now qualifying as an electrician after stepping away from darts.
Kirk Shepherd, a name once synonymous with promise and potential in the world of darts, has experienced a career marked by impressive and difficult highs and lows.
Known for his breakthrough performance at the 2008 World Darts Championship, Shepherd’s journey has left an indelible mark on the sport.
At just 21 years old (and at odds of 1,000 to 1), Shepherd burst into the competition 16 years ago and reached the final, before narrowly losing to John Part.
Despite the defeat, Shepherd pocketed a comfortable £50,000 for his troubles and his life certainly changed overnight.
However, 16 years after the monumental success, Shepherd has admitted that he has since taken on new projects and is now “just Kirk Shepherd.”
Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: ‘I went from being a normal guy working in a factory to front-page headlines and a good salary. After that, the devil came for me.
Kirk Shepherd experienced a career in darts marked by impressive and difficult highs and lows.
Shepherd reached the final of the 2008 World Darts Championship but narrowly lost
“I became a little silly and got carried away with everything. I thought everything was going to fall on a plate for me and it was the beginning of a new beginning, a bright new dawn, but I stopped trying. I became lazy.
‘After winning £50,000 as runner-up at the World Championships in 2008 and becoming somewhat wealthy, four years later he was living alone in a flea-ridden one-bedroom flat.
“I trained as an electrician at a company called Bilfinger in Haydock. I don’t think they knew who they were facing at the beginning, but now I’m just Kirk Shepherd, not the 1,000-1 outsider who made it to the finals at Ally Pally.
‘I am the father of three children aged 15, 13 and six, and things are going so well that I am even thinking about taking up the old arrows. I may have given up darts, but darts have never left me.
In January 2022, Shepherd surrendered his tour card due to problems with dartitis, a condition that can affect darts players and severely damage their performance.
Shepherd’s career path took a downward turn in the years following his final World Championship appearance.
Years later, Shepherd admits that “I got a little silly and got carried away with everything.”
The pressure to live up to initial expectations, combined with fluctuating form and inconsistent performances, led to a series of struggles.
There had previously been fears, when he burst onto the scene, that Luke Littler might splurge after earning himself a lucrative payday at last year’s World Championships.
However, he later revealed the humble rewards he would treat himself to. He told The Telegraph: ‘I always treat myself to Under Armor tracksuits.
And get me a new coat and get some FIFA points for my Xbox. That’s all.