Pioneer Vladyslav Omelchenko has been practising for his moment in the Alexandra Palace spotlight debut by the glow of a lantern and to a soundtrack of distant explosions.
But blackouts and bombs in his war-torn homeland won't stop Omelchenko fulfilling his dream of becoming a darts trailblazer on Sunday. When he becomes the first Ukrainian to compete at the Cazoo PDC Darts World Championship, he is assured of a hero's welcome from the 3,300 crowd – even though he has never played in front of more than 100 fans before.
The Vlady of the lamp can't wait to escape the sirens warning of incoming missiles from Russia to sample the 'normality' of Ally Pally's fancy dress legions. And he will be carrying a torch for freedom fighters against warmonger Vladimir Putin's tyranny in his first round match against Luke Woodhouse on Sunday.
Putin's bombers have been trying to destroy Ukraine's infrastructure, notably the power grid, leaving Omelchenko to prepare for his dream trip in murky light and freezing temperatures – like it or lamp it. The 47-year-old coal miner from Mukachevo landed his golden ticket to Chucking'em Palace by winning the Ukrainian qualifying tournament in Kyiv two months ago.
Now he faces world No.50 Woodhouse in the first round, saying: “Unfortunately in my homeland there is such a situation that I have been forced to train by the light of a lantern for more than one month. To this day, the temperature in the room has been tolerable, but now winter is here, there are frosts ahead and it will be colder.
“I think in my entire darts career the largest number of people who supported me was about 100 people. If at least a few people support me in Ally Pally, I will be already happy. I can't even dream of being supported 3,000 people!
“I have a wife and two sons, 30 and 18 years old, and unfortunately, there will be no relatives with me in London, but hopefully my family and colleagues will have fun looking at the TV screens. This is a great event for our country. I am very proud that I am the first Ukrainian darts player who managed to win this place and I can’t even imagine what it’s like to stand on the Ally Pally stage.
“But of course, the war has had a very strong influence on our lives. All plans for the future were violated, you have to live with the constant thought that you could be under fire. There is fear for myself and for relatives who stayed in the country. I did not have to leave my house, but we were ready to do it since the invaders were near my city. A siren regularly sounds in the air, the region is constantly attacked by rockets and you can hear the explosions.
“But they could not stop my dream of making the PDC World Championship – my dream came true. Until that moment I could only watch pro players on TV. Clearly I am aware that my level, of course, does not reach my rivals and I have little experience of playing them, so I would like to show my best level in the game with Luke.”
