Lisa Ashton: "I don't want to be treated in favor of being the first to compete with men"

 Lisa Ashton: "I don't want to be treated in favor of being the first to compete with men"

The four-time world champion of the women's circuit qualified for the PDC, a men's tour. "They are under pressure not to lose to a woman," she said.

Lisa Ashton  

Lisa Ashton, a four-time women's world darts champion, achieved a historic milestone. The Englishwoman has become the first woman to qualify for the PDC, a men's darts tour. In this way, Ashton will compete to win the same prizes as the men in the same tournaments over the course of the tour. Despite this brilliant growth of female darts, Ashton takes her feat philosophically in an interview with The Guardian.

"I don't want any special treatment. I don't want to be considered as Lisa Ashton, the first woman to play on the men's tour. No thanks. I want to be Lisa Ashton, the darts player. If someone beats me, it's fair. woman should not enter into that, "said the British.

In addition, he explained that the men who make up the tour have added pressure not to lose to a woman: "There are still a few male players that I think feel the pressure because they don't want to lose to a woman, I hope that helps me this year ( laughs) We are proving that we can play darts now. For years people thought women who played darts were a novelty, but now people can see that we are good enough. To break that glass ceiling, I inspired For some more women to take the game seriously and believe that they can play with men would be on par with everything I've done in the game. It's pressure, but good pressure. "

Ashton will compete at PDC for the next two years, where she will have access to the more than 14 million pounds that the tour pays out in prizes throughout each season. At the BDO World Championship for women, the Briton won just £ 4,500 by finishing second. Female darts enter a new dimension.