Security responded upon a joker's theft of the World Championship trophy, leaving Michael van Gerwen in awe.
The 2017 World Darts Championship final turned into a spectacle of mayhem when an opportunist tried to swipe the coveted trophy.
The grand stage was set at Ally Pally, welcoming the face-off between Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson for the Sid Waddell Trophy.
Anderson, a twice victor, had previously triumphed in 2015 and 2016, aiming to snatch the title for the third consecutive year.
With the Sid Waddell Trophy under his belt once before, Van Gerwen was in top form, all geared up for a repeat success.
In this best-of-seven sets final, the Dutch titan was 6-2 ahead, leading by two legs in the ninth set, when the commotion unfolded.
In the heat of the moment, with 115 points left to clinch, a troublemaker stormed the stage from Van Gerwen's right.
He snatched the Sid Waddell Trophy and began marching across the stage, triumphantly hoisting it above his head.
A nervous Van Gerwen edged cautiously away from the oche, evidently trying to steer clear of an unpredictable situation.
Within seconds of the troublemaker grabbing the trophy, security personnel exploded onto the stage from all directions, wrestling the culprit and securing the trophy.
The footage then showed the troublemaker being escorted away from the scene.
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This interruption seemed to throw Van Gerwen off balance, resulting in him losing the ninth set despite his initial lead.
However, the world number three managed to pull through and claim the championship with a 7-3 score.
After his victory, Van Gerwen spoke about the troublemaker, stating that the distraction had a detrimental impact on his performance.
He remarked, "That was a bit sad, to be fair. I think during the game I was in full concentration, and it was a pretty poor moment for me. You've always got people like that trying to be funny. Maybe he wanted to gift me the trophy - that's very generous of him, but he's not authorized to do that!"
Van Gerwen later added another world title to his collection in 2019, beating Michael Smith in the final. Since then, he's found himself losing three finals, including the 2025 final, where he encountered Luke Littler, who clinched his maiden world title at the tender age of 18.
Van Gerwen will undoubtedly have more opportunities to enhance his three world titles, but no Ally Pally final will ever be as chaotic as the showdown in 2017.
Gerwen, taken aback by the interruption, expressed shock over the unthinkable actions of a prankster from the internet group TrollStation, who had stormed the stage in the heat of the final against Anderson. This distraction, Van Gerwen noted, had a detrimental impact on his performance, leading to a set loss despite his initial lead.
