Deta Hedman
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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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]Hedman reached the Women's World Masters final for the first time in 1990, losing to Rhian Speed. She beat defending champion Mandy Solomons 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.
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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]PDC
[edit | edit source]- 2010 (women's): Quarter-finals (lost to Fiona Carmichael 2–4)
- 2021: First round (lost to Andy Boulton 1–3)
BDO
[edit | edit source]- 2010: Semi-finals (lost to Trina Gulliver 0–2)
- 2011: Semi-finals (lost to Rhian Edwards 0–2)
- 2012: Runner-up (lost to Anastasia Dobromyslova 1–2)
- 2013: Quarter-finals (lost to Lisa Ashton 0–2)
- 2014: Runner-up (lost to Lisa Ashton 2–3)
- 2015: First round (lost to Lisa Ashton 1–2)
- 2016: Runner-up (lost to Trina Gulliver 2–3)
- 2017: First round (lost to Casey Gallagher 1–2)
- 2018: Semi-finals (lost to Lisa Ashton 0–2)
- 2019: First round (lost to Maria O'Brien 0–2)
- 2020: First round (lost to Laura Turner 0–2)
WDF
[edit | edit source]- 2022: Second round (lost to Tori Kewish 0-2)
- 2023: Quarter-finals (lost to Rhian O'Sullivan 0–2)
- 2024: Semi-finals (lost to Beau Greaves 0–3)
- 2025: Winner (beat Lerena Rietbergen 4–1)
WSDT
[edit | edit source]- 2022: First Round (lost to Peter Manley 1–3)
- 2024: First Round (lost to Martin Adams 2–3)
References
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ 2010 PDC Womens World Championship Darts Database
- ^ 2002 Womens Las Vegas Desert Classic Darts Database
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Official site
- Profile and stats on Darts Database
- Deta Hedman on TwitterLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Deta Hedman on InstagramLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Deta Hedman at IMDbLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- English darts players
- Jamaican darts players
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- People from Witham
- Sportspeople from Kingston, Jamaica
- Sportspeople of Jamaican descent
- British Darts Organisation players
- Professional Darts Corporation associate players
- Professional Darts Corporation women's players
- Hedman family
- Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom
- English people of Jamaican descent
- 20th-century English sportswomen
- 21st-century English sportswomen
- Sportspeople from Essex
- WDF world darts champions