Gabriel Clemens
Who is behind the "German Giant" of darts?
"The German Giant" Gabriel Clemens after his victory at the Darts World Cup against Peter Wright.
© imago images / Pro Sports Images
Gabriel Clemens was the first German to reach the last sixteen of the Darts World Cup. Who is behind the player celebrated as "The German Giant"?
Gabriel Clemens (37) defeated Scots and reigning world champion Peter Wright (50) 4: 3 at the Darts World Cup in London's Alexandra Palace on Sunday (December 28). After the thrilling duel, he is the first German to reach the last 16 of the Darts World Cup. The arrow professional quit his job for his great passion.
Gabriel "Gaga" Clemens was born on August 16, 1983 in Saarlouis, Saarland, and lives today in Saarwellingen, not far from there. He has been playing darts since 2001. The trained locksmith took time off from his job as an industrial mechanic in order to pursue his dream of becoming a darts professional. From 2008 to 2018 he mainly played tournaments of the British Darts Organization (BDO), since 2018 he has a tour card of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
In the PDC, Clemens, who was nicknamed "The German Giant" (also "Gaga" for short) by his fans and who serves as the opening music "Wonderwall" (1995) by Oasis, established himself as a constant in the darts world . In the world rankings he is now in 29th place.
In the sport full of extroverted players like Peter Wright, Clemens prefers a calmer appearance. At the PDC World Championship he made it in round two, in 2020 he was eliminated in the first round. In 2020 he was also at almost all major major tournaments. Against the later title holder Wright he had lost at the European Championships in October. At the 2021 World Cup, his journey continues with the move to the second round.
Gabriel Clemens private
In addition to darts, he likes to spend his free time with his girlfriend, family and friends, explains Clemens on his website. "When, like me, you go to tournaments and other events every weekend, private matters are often neglected. When I have free time, I enjoy it too," continues the arrow professional. But even in his private hours, Clemens cannot completely let go of his passion: "To the chagrin of my girlfriend, this also means that we occasionally go to private darts tournaments that I do not take part in myself."
On Wednesday, December 30th, Clemens will meet Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski (43), who defeated Australian Simon Whitlock (51) 4-0 in the round of 16. The Darts World Cup runs until January 3, 2021.