INTERVIEW – At 36, the Frenchman keeps climbing the ranks despite a mental aspect that he admits needs improvement. Meet a pioneer with charming humility.
End of March. Invited to the end of the Winamax Poker Tour in Aix-en-Provence, Thibaut Tricole took the time to speak with Le Figaro about his rise in the world rankings – he is currently 60th in darts, his failure at the last World Championships, his passion for the sport, and the enthusiasm surrounding it. At 36, the Frenchman dreams of reaching higher by challenging the best players in the world, often of Anglo-Saxon origin.
Have you digested, today, your first-round exit at the last World Championships in December, or does it remain an open wound?
Thibaut Tricole: It took me a few weeks to digest, especially since it was the first time I was considered a favorite before my first match. It was my third participation, and in the previous two, I always succeeded in passing the first round. So the idea was to do better than in previous years, and the draw offered me a real chance to pass two, or even three rounds. And in the end, the opposite happened…
Do you think you put too much pressure on yourself?
Possibly, but I have often been criticized for not being ambitious enough and not setting higher goals. So there, I changed my approach. Certainly, it added pressure for results, but that’s part of the competition. And this pressure can be positive, it can motivate, inspire… Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned. Everything was difficult for me to manage, especially being booed and heckled from the start of the match. In darts, there’s a culture of supporting the underdog, as the crowd comes to watch, for example, four matches for an evening session and they want the match to last as long as possible. So by supporting the underdog, people feel there’s a greater chance the match will last longer. And against the Japanese player, on paper, I was the favorite, but nothing went as expected, and everything was against me. Afterward, I learned and did self-criticism. I believe a career also involves disappointments like this one, and after that, you have to bounce back…
How did you bounce back since then?
The advantage is that for players like me, who are not part of the Top 8 in the world, I had a month-long break with no competition. It allowed me to clear my mind, put the darts aside a bit to reset my brain. So, I didn’t train much, and at the beginning of the season, I was afraid it might affect me due to a lack of preparation. But in the end, there weren’t any major consequences. I didn’t achieve any outstanding results, but I reached the semi-finals of a Players Championship event (a circuit of 34 events held behind closed doors), which is significant even if it was a tournament without spectators, in a context where I perform better. For now, I struggle more with handling the pressure from the audience, but if I want to progress and improve my world ranking, I will need to shine in these major tournaments that carry a lot of points.
I don’t want to just look back, but also forward.
Is your goal still to break into the Top 50 in the world (currently 60th)?
Yes, which is quite ambitious as I still struggle to close the points gap between me and players ranked between 45th and 55th. At the same time, my ultimate goal is to remain on the pro circuit limited to 128 players worldwide. This means that by the end of the year, I need to be in the top 64, otherwise, I would have to return to the amateur scene. So there is strong pressure to maintain this “tour card,” which is like a professional license. But at the same time, I don’t want to just look back, but also forward. It’s up to me to improve technically if I want to aim for more ambitious goals in the future.
Do you believe your room for improvement lies more in the mental aspect?
Yes, certainly. The mental aspect naturally impacts technique. When we talk about mental, we’re really talking about self-confidence, being in full control of one’s abilities. In the circuit, everyone is good. Of course, there are exceptional talents, above the rest, but between the 10th and 70th in the world, fundamentally, everyone is capable of beating anyone, and the difference truly lies in the mental aspect. The best players are usually full of confidence, something that I naturally lack. I need to work on that.
Do you plan to work with a mental coach?
Yes. It also comes down to experience, accumulating tournaments, experiencing difficult situations. But yes, being mentored, it’s something I’ve thought about for a long time, and I’m ready for it and getting closer to Stéphane (Matheu, coach and manager of the Winamax poker team). Obviously, it’s not the same field, but it turns out there are quite a few similarities between poker and darts. They’re not very physical disciplines, but in terms of preparation, there are many common points. Also in terms of success or failure cycles. After losing a hand in poker or a defeat in darts, you must quickly move on, or else you remain with a defeatist mentality. And opponents notice that, feel it, and they take advantage, either to push you further down or to gain confidence themselves.
Today, I couldn’t change my throwing style, or imitate Luke Littler’s, as he is a double world champion.
Thibault Tricole
How do you continue to progress technically?
In darts, there is no perfect throw, even though we focus on repetition, a sort of robotization even. But we can see that there are as many throwing styles as there are players. The difference compared to an amateur player comes from repetition, from the ability to refine one’s technique to gain more precision. However, today, I couldn’t change my throw or imitate Luke Littler’s because he is a double world champion. I have to stick to mine, with a position where I feel most comfortable. And it’s necessary to find the right balance in training without spending too many hours in front of the board. I’ve tried that in the past, and it didn’t work out well because too many darts, in fact, kill the dart (laughs). We lose that drive arriving at a competition because we played too much at home. Physically, even though there’s no overall physical fatigue, there’s still the notion of continuously engaging the same part of the body, and I always fear tendinitis, which is the only real injury that can occur in darts. I really feel that sometimes when I go through multiple competitions.
Many believe that darts is not a sport. Does that bother you?
Let’s say it’s both a hobby, a passion, and a sport when you decide to practice it professionally. For example, I face the same constraints as a high-level athlete in terms of travel, preparation, energy, not to mention financial constraints. Moreover, it’s not just about throwing darts, you also need to calculate quickly. Similar to poker, you need to be able to adopt different strategies. You also need to be mentally strong, able to manage all kinds of emotions. That’s why I don’t understand why we’re not officially recognized as a sport, like chess for example (recognized by the IOC since 1999). It all depends on the definition of sport we adopt, and it varies from country to country. In France, we are very Cartesian, and a sport must involve a real physical effort. But in other countries like the UK and the US, they just talk about the notion of performance, which can be physical or mental. In England, for example, Luke Littler was nominated twice for the Sportsman of the Year title, I believe…
Has the coverage on the L’Équipe channel changed mentalities in your opinion?
It gives us some leverage because it airs on the only free sports channel in France. There’s also a real enthusiasm, with the federation doubling its number of license holders in the space of two years (just over 3,000 today). It’s still relatively small, but there’s a real dynamic. And through social media, I see an increasing interest from a young population, which is a good sign for the renewal of the sport. In my opinion, we are still in the early stages in France because we are far behind our neighboring countries like Germany and Belgium. They already have several professional players, tens of thousands of license holders, and regular players.
You can also see the growing enthusiasm with your dart bar in Pontivy…
Yes, we’ve been busy for several weeks now, which is great. The concept of a dart bar has always existed. In Brittany, we still talk about pubs, and there’s always a dartboard in a pub. But it’s not often highlighted. Here, in our bar, darts are really showcased with numerous boards. However, we know it’s also due to the initial excitement, people’s curiosity, and riding a certain trend, but I hope many others will follow suit.
If you look at darts twenty years ago, the average age must have been at least 40, if not 45. Now we see players emerging at 18, 19, or 20 years old.
Thibault Tricole
Now, you have a bit of a reputation, your bar is thriving, you’ve beaten the 4th and 12th in the world. Doesn’t all of this boost your confidence?
It should, of course. It’s better than a few years ago. I’m still progressing in that aspect, but probably not as quickly as I should. It’s in my character, and it’s not easy to change. But that doesn’t stop me from being very proud to be the French ambassador and flag-bearer for this sport. Yet, I don’t want to settle for that and I want to go further.
Some players have very strong personalities…
Yes, and I am much smoother. There’s Gerwyn Price, Michael van Gerwen who has a strong presence, a deep voice, and is very expressive… As for me, I prefer to stay true to myself and embody the “French Touch,” which is a bit of French class (smile). Well, I’m not always classy, but let’s say discreet and humble. I prefer to arrive quietly.
We see the global level increasing more and more as well…
Indeed, everything is increasing, both the prize money and the level. Full rooms and more money naturally attract more people. We also see more and more young players. If you look at darts twenty years ago, the average age must have been at least 40, if not 45. Now we see players emerging at 18, 19, or 20 years old. There’s a real rejuvenation, which also contributes to the current enthusiasm. In England, there are now academies for young players, and from primary school, kids as tiny as you can imagine are already throwing darts.
Is it easy to make a living from darts? We imagine that your partnership with Winamax is a real financial boost for you…
Yes, it shows that darts is growing. If it had remained confidential, Winamax would never have been interested. And when they do something, they have the means and they do it well, which also brings me a certain form of credibility with other potential partners. So, I am thrilled to be financially supported, as it allows me to no longer worry about finances, how I will finance my next tournaments. Before, I knew I had to pass at least two rounds to participate in the next one. Today, at my modest level, I’m more comfortable, and it’s immensely relieving not to have to think about it and focus solely on performance.
Are you not part of the athletes supported by the National Sports Agency (ANS)?
No, as darts are not recognized in France, I have never received public subsidies in twenty years. But I make do, aware of my luck to live my passion. There are worse things in life. Still, I’m the only Frenchman in this situation, and I also like to nurture this rivalry with the Anglo-Saxons. We have it in football, rugby, and other sports. Constantly measuring myself against the English and being able to beat some of them, that motivates me. In the beginning, when I started, they were quite surprised to see a Frenchman on the circuit, and they would say to me: “Are there darts in France?” In essence, they looked down on me a bit. For them, one does not meddle in their national sport, especially when you’re French. And now that I have gained credibility and respect, it still motivates me to challenge them a bit.
However, you don’t plan on transitioning to a professional poker player, do you?
(Laughs) No, that’s not in the plans. I’m interested in poker, but I’m afraid it might be too time-consuming, especially since I’m very competitive, and I refuse to start without being somewhat competent, with the right foundations. But acquiring those skills takes time. So if I start playing poker, I’m done, and it’s my dart game that will suffer, I think. My partner, though, played a lot when she was younger and even participated in the Poker Tour about fifteen years ago. So, it still creates a connection for me.
