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Deta Hedman

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Deta Hedman
OBE
Hedman in 2021
Personal information
Nickname"The Heart of Darts"
"Caribbean Queen"
Born (1959-11-14) 14 November 1959 (age 66)
Kingston, West Indies Federation
Home townWitham, England
Darts information
Playing darts since1973
Darts27g One80 Signature
LateralityRight-handed
Walk-on music"Hot Hot Hot" by Arrow
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO1987–1996, 2010–2020
PDC2002–2007, 2019–2022
WDF2010–
Current world ranking(WDF W) 1 Steady (7 December 2025)[1]
WDF major events – best performances
World ChampionshipWinner (1): 2025
World MastersWinner (2): 1994, 2013
World TrophyRunner-up: 2016
Finder MastersWinner (2): 1996,[2] 2011
Dutch OpenWinner (3): 2010, 2017, 2018
PDC premier events – best performances
World Championship(Women's) Quarter-final: 2010 [3]
(Mixed gender) Last 96: 2021
UK OpenLast 64: 2005
Desert Classic(Women's) Winner: 2002[4]
WSDT major events – best performances
World ChampionshipLast 24: 2022
World MatchplayLast 16: 2022
World MastersLast 16: 2022
Other tournament wins
PDC Women's Series2020
Medal record
Women's Darts
Representing  England
WDF World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1995 Basel Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 1995 Basel Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2011 Castlebar Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2011 Castlebar Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2013 St. John's Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 2013 St. John's Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2013 St. John's Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2015 Antalya Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2015 Antalya Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2019 Cluj Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2019 Cluj Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2023 Esbjerg Women's pairs
Silver medal – second place 2015 Antalya Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 2015 Antalya Women's pairs
Silver medal – second place 2019 Cluj Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Basel Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Castlebar Women's singles
WDF Europe Cup
Gold medal – first place 1994 Stockholm Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1994 Stockholm Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 1994 Stockholm Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 1996 Bundoran Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 1996 Bundoran Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2014 Bucharest Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2014 Bucharest Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2016 Egmond aan Zee Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2016 Egmond aan Zee Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2018 Budapest Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2018 Budapest Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2018 Budapest Women's overall
Gold medal – first place 2022 Gandía Women's pairs
Gold medal – first place 2022 Gandía Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2022 Gandía Women's overall
Silver medal – second place 1996 Bundoran Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 2014 Bucharest Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 2016 Egmond aan Zee Women's pairs
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Kemer Women's pairs
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Bucharest Women's pairs

Deta Hedman (born 14 November 1959) is an English darts player who competes both in World Darts Federation (WDF) and Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events and previously competed in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events. She is the reigning WDF women's world champion, having won the 2025 WDF World Championship. She is a two-time World Masters and Finder Masters champion and a three-time Dutch Open champion. She is also a three-time BDO World Championship finalist.

Hedman began playing BDO events in 1987 and reached her first BDO women’s major final at the World Masters in 1990. She won the event in both 1994 and 2013.

Biography

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Hedman was born in Jamaica in 1959. Her parents emigrated to the United Kingdom in the early 1960s, leaving Hedman and her siblings in the care of relatives in Jamaica.[5] She spent her childhood with her aunt in Castleton in a shack without running water or electricity, going to school from Monday to Thursday and working on the farm on Fridays.[5] Her parents eventually settled in Witham, Essex and over time, brought their children to the UK, with Hedman joining them in January 1973.[5] She started playing darts with her older brother after babysitting for him and then at the local pub in Witham and further afield in Essex.[5] When she was 25, she joined a super league. She was selected for the county, and in 1987 she began playing in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events.[5]

Career

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Hedman reached the Women's World Masters final for the first time in 1990, losing to Rhian Speed. She beat defending champion Mandy Solomons [nl] to win the Women's World Masters in 1994.[6] When she retired from darts in 1997 due to work commitments, she had been Women's World Number 1 since 1994.[7]

Hedman returned to darts in 2002 with the Professional Darts Corporation. She qualified for the UK Open in 2004, and more famously in 2005, when she defeated Aaron Turner and Norman Fletcher before losing to Wayne Atwood in the last 64. Her win over Turner was the first time that a female darts player had beaten a male player in a televised major.[6]

Due to work commitments, Hedman retired again in 2007 but returned to the BDO in 2009.[6] After winning numerous open titles in 2009, she qualified for the BDO Women's World Championship for the first time in 2010. She defeated Irina Armstrong 2–0 in the quarter-finals, but was beaten 2–0 by eventual champion Trina Gulliver in the semi-finals. Hedman won the 2010 BDO Classic tournament beating Karen Lawman 3-2 in the final.[8]

Hedman also competed in the first PDC Women's World Darts Championship in 2010, but lost to Fiona Carmichael in the quarter-finals.[9]

At the 2011 BDO World Darts Championship, Hedman defeated Belgium's Patricia De Peuter 2–1 in the quarter-finals before being whitewashed 2–0 by Rhian Edwards in the semi-finals.

Deta Hedman at the Czech Open Darts, 2021

Hedman's best run at the BDO World Darts Championship came in 2012, where she beat Rhian Edwards and Lorraine Farlam to reach the final. In the final, she led Anastasia Dobromyslova by a set and threw for the championship, but was broken and ultimately lost 2–1.[10] This was equalled by her 2016 run where she lost in the final to Trina Gulliver.

Despite being ranked No.1 for the 2013 BDO World Darts Championship Hedman was knocked out in the first round 0–2 by Lisa Ashton. The following season, Hedman won 14 titles and once again reached the world final, but lost once again this time from 2–0 in sets and 2–1 in legs having yet again thrown for the title. Hedman eventually lost the final 3–2 to Lisa Ashton despite having a checkout percentage over 75%.[11]

Hedman reached the final of the 2016 BDO World Darts Championship but was beaten by Trina Gulliver who won her 10th title.[12]

She competed at 2020 PDC Q-School but failed to gain a PDC Tour Card. In October 2020, the PDC held the inaugural Women's Series, a set of 4 events with 2 qualifying spots for the 2021 PDC World Darts Championship. She tied with Fallon Sherrock on the Order of Merit, however Hedman won beating Sherrock 85–83 on legs won, meaning Hedman would make her debut in the 2021 PDC World Darts Championship. She lost 3–1 to Andy Boulton in the first round.

At the 2025 WDF World Darts Championship, Hedman competed in her fourth women's world final and won her first world title, defeating Lerena Rietbergen 4–1 in the final.[13]

Awards

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Hedman was on the list of the BBC's 100 Women announced on 23 November 2020.[14]

In June 2025, Hedman was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2025 Birthday Honours for services to darts and charity.[15][16]

Personal life

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Hedman's brother Rudi was a professional footballer who played for Colchester United and Crystal Palace. Her other brother, Al, was a professional darts player and former 1995 BDO British Open Champion.[17] Her nephew Graham is a 400-metre runner.

In a post on Facebook in December 2023, Hedman voiced support for banning transgender players from playing in women's events.[18] During the WDF Denmark Women's Open in May 2024, she withdrew in the quarter-finals against transgender player Noa-Lynn van Leuven,[19] leading to speculation that she withdrew from the tournament in protest.[20] Speaking to Deutsche Welle, Hedman cited issues relating to skeletal difference and menstrual cycles as justification for her stance.[21] In October 2025, Hedman forfeited her quarter-final match against Van Leuven in event 22 of the 2025 PDC Women's Series.[22]

World Championship results

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PDC

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  • 2010 (women's): Quarter-finals (lost to Fiona Carmichael 2–4)
  • 2021: First round (lost to Andy Boulton 1–3)

BDO

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WDF

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WSDT

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "WDF Women's Rankings Table". WDF. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  2. ^ "EGM". Jeroen Snijders (1996). Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  3. ^ 2010 PDC Womens World Championship Darts Database
  4. ^ 2002 Womens Las Vegas Desert Classic Darts Database
  5. ^ a b c d e Grey, Becky (13 August 2020). "Deta Hedman: 'I'm not here to please you. I'm here to play a game that I enjoy'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Deta Hedman: "I don't really think about how many titles I've won, I just go with the flow really!"". Love The Darts. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Profile for Deta Hedman". Lakeside World Professional Darts Championships. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011.
  8. ^ "Ross Montgomery and Deta Hedman win BDO Classic titles". BBC Sport. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Joy For Wright & Bromberg". PDCTV. Professional Darts Corporation. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Bullseye checkout seals Dobromyslova win". BBC Sport. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  11. ^ "BDO World Darts: Lisa Ashton defeats Deta Hedman in final". BBC Sport. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  12. ^ Cartwright, Phil (9 January 2016). "Trina Gulliver wins 10th BDO World Championships title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Fourth time lucky for Hedman as she wins WDF Women's World Championship". World Darts Federation. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  14. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2020: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Darts delight in king's birthday honours as Littler and Humphries pick up MBEs". The Guardian. PA Media. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  16. ^ "Deta Hedman to receive OBE". World Darts Federation. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  17. ^ "Interview with Deta Hedman". Global Darts. 2013.
  18. ^ Verbeek, Pieter (12 December 2023). "Deta Hedman wants to ban transgenders in ladies darts ranking events". Darts News. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  19. ^ Gill, Samuel (4 May 2024). "Deta Hedman refuses to play transgender Noa-Lynn van Leuven and forfeits game at Denmark Open". Darts News. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  20. ^ Shaw, Jamie (4 May 2024). "Deta Hedman forfeits match against Noa-Lynn van Leuven at the Denmark Open in transgender protest". Live Darts. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  21. ^ Sten-Ziemons, Andreas; Hotakie, Alima (17 December 2024). "Noa-Lynn van Leuven: Against all odds at Ally Pally". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  22. ^ Billson, Chantelle (20 October 2025). "Darts player chooses to forfeit tournament for a second time rather than play trans opponent". Pink News. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
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