Iranian Rahmani on journey to become a professional darts player
Mahdieh Qazvinian
Staff writer
For the best part of the Iranian people, darts is nothing but a typical leisure activity during the vacations.
And that is how it all started for Mozhgan Rahmani, when she was just a teenage girl, before she embarked on a fascinating journey to become the first Iranian to be inducted into the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and compete in high-profile events of the sport.
The 34-year-old recently recovered from a shoulder injury setback, which had kept her out of action for a year, to add a precious bronze medal at the Malaysian Open to her trophy cabinet.
“The company that my father worked for held a multi-sport event in a vacation camp for its employees in northern Iran and that is where I first saw a dartboard. I was just 13 at the time,” Rahmani told Iran Daily.
“When I made my first throw, everyone was surprised to find out that it was the first time I was holding a dart in my hand. All my three efforts hit the bullseye and I won the competition,” added the Iranian girl, who received a dartboard as the winner’s prize, though it proved to be a pivotal point in her life.
“I hung the board on the wall at home and kept throwing darts at it without any specific instruction and knowledge of the sport. Time wore on until I saw a banner of a darts club in our neighborhood in 2015 and that’s when I started my professional career,” said Rahmani, who joined the national team two years later after winning the Shiraz Open.
Rahmani says her appearance at the international tournaments has drawn attention from the global media.
“I’m the only member of the Professional Darts Corporation who wears hijab at the competitions and when Sky Sports conducted an interview with me in 2020 it led to prominent companies wanting to sign sponsorship deals with me,” said Rahmani, now playing for Malaysian DURY team, who has a Chinese-made darts equipment brand named after her.
However, the Iranian has come a long way to find her way onto the highest levels of the sport.
“England is the birthplace of darts. The Netherlands is also a major pub for the sport and most of the top players in the world are from these two countries. The Japanese are also among the high-profile champions in the women’s event. In Iran, though, darts is more or less played for fun, rather than being considered as a ompetitive sport,” said the two-time Malaysian Open champion in 2017 and 2019.
“The Malaysian Open is the most prestigious darts event in Asia and has a silver grade in the world rankings. I also took part in the Dutch Open – held by the World Darts Federation – in 2020 and made it to the last 32,” added Rahamti.
Asked about the attributes needed for a professional darts player, Rahmani said: “Darts requires a lot of concentration, precision, calmness and patience. You need to have inner peace to succeed as a darts player. Years of physical and mental training has helped me strengthen my hand muscles and improve my aiming skills, so much so that I can hit the center of the board even with closed eyes.”
Rahmani opened her own darts academy in Tehran last week, in which she will be looking to “begin a new era for the sport in Iran.”
“I can promise you that I will introduce numerous top international players in the coming years,” Rahmani told the attendees during the opening ceremony of her academy.