He’s building a pool at his house as part of a fitness drive. Now Peter Wright just needs to learn how to swim.
Snakebite admits he’s getting old and ditching the dancing despite having failed to get his walk on song changed to Squid Games’ Round and Round. Approaching his 55th birthday, Scotland’s two-time World Champion used an unfortunate expletive as regards his weight before correcting himself to fat “fellow” as opposed to the other F word which inadvertently came just beforehand.
Wright says staying young in the mind holds the key to more darts glory, but the physical side is important as father time ticks on. Ahead of today’s last 16 World Masters clash with defending champ Stephen Bunting, he revealed: “We are having a pool built. I cannot swim. So [wife] Jo will either put her foot on my head or I have got to learn to swim. It’s for the grandkids and stuff like that.
“I want to get a couple of stones off. More exercise. Eat properly. Everyone else is doing that same thing. It’s no good being a fat old darts player up there. Make it work, work hard and the results will come.
”I have got a new buzz. I don’t know what it is. I feel good. I can only get better. It’s up to me how good I can get.
“As long as I don’t look in the mirror. When it comes to March, I’m 55. Inside I feel around 21. If I feel like that while playing darts, then everyone is in trouble.”
Rights issues meant the song can’t be altered, but the dancing around has to halt as he continued: “I have just seen myself up there. A big fat f***. Er, fellow. A big fat fellow. I am jumping across the stage.
“I wanted to change my walk-on tune but I wasn’t allowed. I wanted the Squid Game walk-on. That would have been brilliant. That’s the way it is. Will I ever stop dying the hair? Hopefully the hair will fall out.
“I have to concentrate on the game. Win games. Focus on that and let the audience dance instead.”
Wright was told he’s plenty of years ahead of him given reappointed US President Donald Trump is 78 and he said: “I have still got my marbles. He might not! Why is my age against me? It doesn’t matter. As long as the head feels good, then they have got to beat my arm and my head.
“There is less pressure by not being picked for the Premier League. I can enjoy being at home with my cats. As a player, I need to set myself, know when to be ready for my next match. It’s very difficult to just do it on the night before, when you have got off a plane. It’s very, very difficult. I am looking forward to the time off. Hopefully this will mean good results.
“They have picked sensibly, they don’t want to embarrass some players, who could go up there. In the past two years I have played absolutely rubbish and got battered. The Premier League can ruin darts players’ lives. It has done and it has proved it.
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“The PDC are very careful and they do the right things. For instance, Luke Humphries wasn’t put in one year and then he won everything after that.
“I have said in interviews, I won 10 tournaments when I was playing really well in a year. My target is to win 11. I believe I can win 11 tournaments this year. That’s my target. It might sound silly. That is what I want to do personally.”