Cullen was joined by his father on stage to celebrate the Masters victory
Joe Cullen dedicated his first major title win at the Masters to his mum who tragically passed away last year.
The 32-year-old beat Dave Chisnall in the final at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes on Sunday, with ‘The Rockstar’ dominating for much of the tie, despite missing 10 match darts before eventually nailing a much-needed double.
Cullen defeated Daryl Gurney, Gary Anderson, Michael van Gerwen and Jose de Sousa before overcoming ‘Chizzy’ in the showpiece final – winning his first major piece of silverware.
While securing the title and £60,000 prize was important to the promising Cullen, his first thought after securing the win was to make a touching tribute to his mother who died just three months ago.
He was joined by his father on stage to celebrate the Masters victory, with the Englishman admitting that he had dreamt of winning a televised final, but that it was a ‘bitter-sweet’ moment.
“I’ve dreamed of this moment for a long time,” said Cullen. “I felt like I was going to win it at the start of the day, so to actually get over the line feels amazing.
“It’s bitter-sweet. I’d love my mum to have been here to see me do it but life’s not always fair. I miss my mum dearly so that’s definitely for her.
“I lost my mum in October and it’s absolutely gut-wrenching. That was for my mum.
“It was special to have my dad here. Losing a parent is always tough, so to have my dad by my side supporting me is great.”
Absolutely overwhelmed by all the well wishes after last nights win thanks to every one of you🏆
Took me while but I’ve finally done it…..never thought I’d get that emotional over a darts match but with all that’s happened to myself & my family recently , that’s for you Mum ❤️ pic.twitter.com/LAeJm0AWSQ
— J O E C U L L E N (@rockstar_13_) January 31, 2022
Cullen also thanked supporters for their kind messages on Monday morning, tweeting: “Absolutely overwhelmed by all the well wishes after last nights win thanks to every one of you.
“Took me while but I’ve finally done it…..never thought I’d get that emotional over a darts match but with all that’s happened to myself & my family recently , that’s for you Mum.”
As well as winning the Masters title, the man from Bradford was named as one of the competitors in this season’s Premier League, where he will make his debut in the competition on Thursday in Cardiff.
He joins Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, James Wade, Gary Anderson and Michael Smith in the revamped competition for this season.
Related links:
RELATED ARTICLES
MORE FROM JOE
MORE FROM JOE
