Sir Chris Hoy made his first high-profile public appearance since since breaking his leg in a crash the heavily decorated Olympian described as the ‘worst’ of his life, presenting the the Sid Waddell Trophy to the winner of the World Darts Championship to defending champion Luke Littler.
The cycling icon, who was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in September 2023 and has since publicly opened up on his battle against the disease, was dealt another health scare in December when he fell from his saddle during a mountain bike accident.
Hoy also had the opportunity to present Littler with the Ballon d’Art trophy for throwing the most 180s across the course of the tournament – a feat which contributed to Paddy Power being able to make a record £1.25million donation to Prostate Cancer UK.
The Even Bigger 180 campaign saw Paddy Power renew their pledge to donate £1,000 for every 180 hit and £60,000 for every nine-darter hit – with an additional £120,000 split between the player who hits the nine-darter and a lucky fan in attendance.
They have also run a Darts of Destiny campaign, which will see one lucky fan take to the stage during the final to try and win £180,000 by hitting 180 in nine darts.
The record of 180s hit at the Alexandra Palace this year was smashed, with a total of 1,127 made during the tournament.
Sir Chris Hoy was on hand to present Luke Littler with the Sid Waddell trophy on Saturday night
The heavily decorated Olympian was on crutches after breaking his leg in the ‘worst’ crash he had ever suffered on his bike
This meant that £1,127,000 will be given to the charity, with the funds supporting groundbreaking research like the organisation’s TRANSFORM trial, a project which aims to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer and save thousands of lives every year.
A further £123,000 was raised through the Darts of Destiny scheme, although the fan – 27-year-old electrician Curtis Griffiths from Wrexham – was unable to win the total prize money.
Hoy, who was an ambassador of the Even Bigger 180 campaign, said: ‘It’s incredible to see the Even Bigger 180 campaign raise a record breaking amount of money this year.
‘Over 1 million is just mind blowing and the funds raised will make a tangible difference in the fight against prostate cancer and help countless men and their families across the UK.’
Littler romped to glory for a second year in a row after thrashing World Youth Champion Gian van Veen 7-1.
