The Heat
Who is Australian darts star Damon Heta?
Damon came to the UK with only a suitcase and a dream — five years later he's one of the world's top 10 throwers
AUSTRALIAN darts player Damon Heta has rapidly risen through the professional ranks to become one of the top competitors in the sport.
Currently placed No. 9 on the PDC Order of Merit, he'll be hoping to bring home the biggest prize of all at the PDC World Darts Championship 2025.
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Who is Damon Heta?
Damon Heta was born on August 10, 1987, in Perth, Western Australia.
Before becoming a full-time professional, he worked as a roofer and plumber.
While he has been playing darts since 2007, things really kicked off when Damon upped sticks and swapped Australia for England in 2019.
He moved to the UK with just a single suitcase, nowhere to live and high hopes of becoming a darts pro.
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Thankfully his friend and fellow Aussie darts player, the late Kyle Anderson, was already settled in England and lent the newcomer a helping hand.
Damon worked his way through PDC Q-School before bursting onto the scene in front of a home crowd at the Brisbane Darts Masters later the same year.
He achieved a remarkable feat by winning the tournament as a regional qualifier, defeating numerous top players along the way, including James Wade, Gary Anderson, Simon Whitlock and world No. 5 Rob Cross in the final.
This victory made him the first non-tour cardholder to win a PDC televised event since 2010, and just the second ever regional qualifier to lift a World Series of Darts title.
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In 2020, Damon earned his PDC Tour card, as well as his first ranking title — the Players Championship, which was held in Niedernhausen, Germany.
Career highlights
Damon's greatest feat to date is winning the 2022 World Cup of Darts alongside Simon Whitlock.
Luke Littler's rival Damon Heta grimaces in disbelief as 'unplayable' teen smashes darts history books to beat him
The pair dedicated their victory to compatriot Anderson, who had tragically passed away the previous year following a battle with kidney failure.
Damon's gone on to establish himself as Australia's top darts player, accumulating an impressive list of achievements:
- 10 PDC titles: Damon has won two televised and eight non-televised PDC titles
- European Tour success: He won the 2022 Gibraltar Darts Trophy, defeating high-profile players including Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright en route to victory
- UK Open performance: In 2024, Damon reached the semi-finals of the UK Open
It’s crazy to think I play darts for a living!
Damon Heta
Nickname & style
Nicknamed "The Heat" — an anagram of his surname Heta — Damon is known for his consistency and fearless attitude towards taking on the world's best players.
His walk-on song is Things Can Only Get Better by D:Ream.
Reflecting on his journey in the game so far, Damon posted on X/Twitter: "Landed in England five years ago today to get myself ready for my debut worlds and Q-School.
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"Moved to a country we had never been to with only a suitcase each, nowhere to live & the only person we knew was Kyle.
"It’s crazy to think I play darts for a living!"
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