I was thinking of just walking away
CHAMPION WRIGHT ON HOW HIS REIGN TURNED INTO PAIN
LORD of the dance Peter Wright’s year as world champion has been wrecked by coronavirus and left him feeling depressed “in a horrible place”.
Instead of conducting fancy- dress legions to his walk- on anthem Let’s Get This Party Started, ‘ Snakebite’ Wright admits that piling on weight “did my head in”.
And rather than being introduced to crowds in New York and Australia as world No1, he has been left to play in deserted arenas, mainly in Milton Keynes and Coventry.
Tonight, as he opens his defence of the PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace, showman Wright will at last be able to slap on his war paint and kaleidoscopic outfit for 1,000 fans. But his year on the throne has not been what he envisaged, having thrashed Michael van Gerwen in the final after the Dutchman had taunted him as a “bottler”. Wright, who faces the winner of the first- round tie between Steve West and Amit Gilitwala, said: “I was looking forward to doing the World Series, going to New York.
“Then going to Australia and New Zealand as world champion, which would have been great for all my fans out there.
“During lockdown, I put on loads of weight eating and drinking. I felt like, ‘ I don’t want to be here any more’ and it is a horrible place. I thought I could just walk away from the game and not bother getting up the next day. But that is just being selfish in my head – other people matter.”
Wright, 50, has already failed to clear the first hurdle defending his crown – after hurting his ribs climbing over a fence last week. “I haven’t gone to the doctors, but it’s getting worse and it is affecting the release of my throw,” he said.
“MVG has probably got a voodoo doll and is putting some needles in!”