Wachiuri’s ADC dream crushed in Portsmouth showdown

**Kenyan Darts player Peter Wachiuri/FILE**

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Despite falling short of making the January 4 Grand Finale at the Amateur Darts Circuit (ADC) Global Championship in Portsmouth, England, for a crack at the Sh10.3 million prize, Kenyan darts maestro Peter Wachiuri hopes his appearance at the global showpiece will add invaluable insight to his career.

On Tuesday night, Wachiuri lined up for the Knockout rounds of the 2025/26 ADC Championships, laser-focused on making his way to the quarterfinals and Grand Final stage set for January 4.

The Kenyan ace was placed in the Knockout Round Two alongside Australia’s Adam Leek, the hosts’ Tom Sykes and Callum Goffin of Wales.

The intense knockout stage saw Wachiuri fall 4-1 to Goffin, 4-2 to Sykes, and suffer a narrow 4-3 defeat to Leek in a tight contest.

Sykes topped the group standings on 12 points, leading Goffin on six, with Leek third on four points and Wachiuri closing the standings with just two points.

Following the final results, Wachiuri’s journey in the ADC Championships suffered a major dent as only the top player punched his ticket to the January 4 showdown.

“Wachiuri is out. The King has his hopes cut short at the ADC Championships,” ADC confirmed in a statement. Sykes had the standout performance in the knockout phase, going unbeaten in the group.

“Tom Sykes was unstoppable in Knockout Group 2, never losing a match as he powered his way to the top of the table and into the quarterfinals at the Grand Final on January 4.”

Sykes' campaign saw him secure a dominant 4-0 win over Leek, a composed 4-2 triumph against Wachiuri, and another solid 4-2 victory over Goffin.

Wachiuri’s route to the knockouts saw him placed in Group Three of the preliminary rounds, facing a formidable cast including Belgium’s Steve De Buck, Netherlands star Ricardo Ham, Englishmen Adam Mould, Shane Turner, Phil Johnson-Hale and Australia’s Brandon Weening.

Wachiuri punched his ticket to the knockout against Mould, securing a 4-3 victory after a spirited comeback from 2-0 down.

With an impressive 96.31 average, Wachiuri found himself sitting comfortably in second place in the group on eight points, behind the flawless Ham, who topped the standings with 12 points to punch his ticket to the knockout stages.