Jose de Sousa : Former kitchen fitter wins Grand Slam of Darts
- Published
De Sousa switched from being a kitchen fitter and carpenter to become a full-time darts professional in January 2019
Former kitchen fitter Jose de Sousa has won the Grand Slam of Darts and claimed the first prize of £125,000.
De Sousa, 46, had never gone beyond the third round of a major tournament before but beat James Wade 16-12 in the final in Coventry.
"This is the greatest day of my life," said De Sousa, Portugal's first winner of a televised PDC ranking event.
He sealed victory with a 158 checkout, his highest of the tournament, before bursting into tears.
"This is a dream come true, I can't explain my feelings in this moment," he said.
"Five years ago I was on my sofa at home watching the guys play on TV and I wished that maybe some day I can play against these wonderful players.
"It was a big change I made to my life in turning professional but look at me now. It's amazing and I'm very proud of myself."
De Sousa, who joined the professional circuit in January 2019, now climbs to 15th on the PDC Order of Merit.