Gerwyn Price threatens to boycott PDC World Darts Championship after world number one wears earmuffs to block teasing in quarter-final loss

Gerwyn Price has claimed he may never play in the PDC World Darts Championship again after wearing ear defenders in his quarter-final loss to Gabriel Clemens.

The world No.1 has become a divisive figure in the sport and the ‘Iceman’ made it clear that the rowdy crowd at Alexandra Palace was bothering him before he was kicked out of the 2023 tournament.

Price has been the subject of teasing throughout his career and has previously said he trains with earplugs.

At 3-1, he went even further with full hearing protectors.

That didn’t stop him losing the fifth set and when he returned to the stage with less bulky earplugs the result was the same as Clemens sealed a 5-1 victory to become the first German to reach the last four of the competition. .

After his loss to Clemens, Price threatened not to return to the PDC World Championships.

The 37-year-old wrote on his Instagram page: “So frustrating playing all year preparing for this one tournament. So gutted I wasn’t let play but good luck everyone.

“I’m not sure I’ll play in this event again.”

Price later deleted the story and all of her previous Instagram posts.

Three-time runner-up Wayne Mardle said Price’s actions were those of a vulnerable man.

“The situation with Price is that he had his ear defenders with him before this game and that was something he thought he was doing,” he told Sky Sports.

“It shows there’s a bit of fragility there. I understand why he did it, he wanted to put on an elaborate show.

This isn’t the first controversy Price has been embroiled in during the championships.

Sky Sports had to apologize to viewers earlier this week after the former Welsh rugby player made a gesture that could have been construed as offensive to people with disabilities during his victory over Jose de Sousa.

There was a partisan crowd at the Ally Pally, with hundreds of Germans present to roar at Clemens.

After a blistering start to take the first set, Clemens suddenly takes over and begins to dominate, much to the delight of his supporters.

A desperate Price then put on the earmuffs and it seemed like a stroke of genius as he started with a 180 and gestured towards the arena of boos, but his joy didn’t last long.

His German opponent maintained his focus and won the fifth set, Price leaving the stage with a grimace on his face and the hearing protectors removed.

For the sixth and final set, the Cardiff native opted for earplugs instead, but it was too late with Clemens seeing a huge 5-1 upset.

Speaking afterwards, Clemens said: “It’s amazing. Thank you, Germany!

“I have no words. I beat the world No. 1 in the quarters, it’s absolutely incredible for me.

Asked about Price’s earmuffs, Clemens replied: “I watched my game, I played the whole game well, I played my game and that was it.”

When told that a record 1.5 million Germans were watching him at his home above all the native flags in Ally Pally, Clemens simply said: “It’s amazing. Thank you!”

Clemens will face last year’s beaten finalist Michael Smith in the semifinals, having beaten Stephen Bunting 5-3 in the eighth.

Michael van Gerwen – a contender for a fourth world title – swept Chris Dobey 5-0 to set up a semi-final with Dimitri Van den Bergh, who won 5-3 over Johnny Clayton.

You can listen to live commentary from the semi-finals on Monday evening on talkSPORT 2. To tune into talkSPORT 2 via the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen through the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.