Luke Humphries shows true colours responding to cruel taunt after World Grand Prix defeat
The World Grand Prix darts final didn't go to plan for Luke Humphries, who was beat by underdog Mike De Decker - but he still didn't let a brutal chant from the crowd get to him
Luke Humphries was hailed as a "class act" for how he responded to taunts from the World Grand Prix crowd after his final defeat.
The darts world No. 1 was heavy favourite to add to his ever-growing trophy collection and defend his crown from last year in Leicester on Sunday. But Belgian 25th seed Mike De Decker upset the odds with a 6-4 victory to claim the £120,000 top prize.
As Humphries collected his runner-up silverware on stage, the crowd began singing "Leeds are falling apart again" - the football chant used by rivals of his beloved Leeds United which he'd been taunted with at various points throughout the tournament.
Leicester City beat Leeds to promotion from the Championship last season, with the former claiming the title and the latter losing the play-off final to Southampton. But Humphries took it all in good humour.
He cupped his ear and then encouraged the fans in attendance to turn up the volume, all with a smile on his face before clapping them. His response earned him praise from fans watching on from home, with one writing: "Just class isn’t he." A second echoed: "Class as per."
A third commented: "Fair play to @lukeh180 tonight took defeat like a man even had a bit of banter with the crowd... unbelievable talent and a joy to watch." And a fourth added: "He handles it so well, most players' heads would be on Mars."
"He’s got the right attitude that lad love him," posted a fifth, while a sixth said: "Class act on and off the oche. The hate for Humphries is so forced and just stems from jealous nobodies who don’t like to see others be successful."
Humphries was very much gracious in defeat in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, giving De Decker - who out-averaged him to win the first televised title of his career at 28 - his flowers for the composure he showed on the big stage.
The 29-year-old told Sky: "I'm obviously gutted to lose - I felt like I really was just on the wires of everything. It's frustrating but I'm so proud of Mike, he showed so much bottle. I know how it felt like to be in that position a year ago and he looked as cool as anything.
"It wasn't my night and sometimes you have to accept that it isn't - but you've got a great champion and he's got a target on his back now like I've got. He's a fantastic guy, a great player. There's a lot more big things to come from him after this."
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