Why was Gerwyn Price wearing headphones? Reason for darts stars’ World Championship reaction & Instagram post

The PDC World Darts Championship has now reached the semi-final stage with the final four competitors set to face off at London’s Alexandra Palace this evening.

Tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen will take on Belgium’s Dimitri van den Bergh while last year’s runner-up Michael Smith goes head-to-head with Gabriel Clemens - who became the first German to reach this stage of the competition by beating world number one Gerwyn Price last night. The match, which Clemens won convincingly by five sets to one, was somewhat overshadowed by the Welshman’s decision to emerge from a break wearing a set of ear protectors...

Why was Gerwyn Price wearing headphones?

Price has long been a divisive figure in the sport with many crowds, particularly in England, loudly voicing their dislike for the Welshman. The former world champion has previously been at the centre of on stage controversies and bust ups with other players which has made him unpopular with large sections of the fanbase.

The decision to wear ear protectors is not a first for the sport with other players such as Mervyn King having done similar in the past when the crowd was against him. However, the Englishman opted for more discreet ear plugs rather than the conspicuous ear protectors that Price went with.

If the ear protectors were indee and attempt to block out the crowd and improve his chances they proved less than successful as Gabriel Clemens clinched the match 5-1. He became the first German player to reach the semi-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship and Price’s future in the sport is now, seemingly, in doubt...

What did Gerwyn Price write on Instagram? Is he leaving darts?

Earlier in the tournament, Price had discussed his desire to return to playing rugby. The Welshman was a professional in the sport before becoming a full time darts player and even turned out for United Rugby Championship side Glasgow Warriors.

After his exit from the World Championship this year, Price took to social media. In a now deleted Instagram story post, he wrote: “So frustrating you play all year round preparing for this one tournament. So gutted I wasn’t let play but Good luck everyone left in. Not sure I will ever play in this event again.”

The Welshman has not commented further in public but it is unclear from the post if he is unsure about his future specifically in the World Championship, which is the most prestigious tournament and the one with the largest prize money pot in darts, or in the sport as a whole. Since joining the PDC in 2014, Price has won one World Championship title as well as the World Grand Prix, World Cup, three Grand Slams and two World Series finals.

Prior to this year’s World Championship he was ranked number one in the PDC Order of Merit, having won £1,176,750 in ranked prize money of the past two years. He will now almost certainly lose his world number one spot to Michael van Gerwyn and has the option at any time to hand in his tour card, which effectively means walking away from the organisation.