In the unforgiving arena of professional darts, where mental sharpness meets physical endurance under blinding lights, Gerwyn Price has always been a force of nature—the Iceman whose icy glare and thunderous 180s have frozen opponents for years. But lately, the Welsh warrior has turned heads not just with his arrows, but with a jaw-dropping body overhaul that’s sparked everything from awe to outright concern. At 40, the former world champion has shed a staggering three stone over the past six months, transforming from a broad, rugby-honed powerhouse into a lean, ripped machine. And when whispers turned to warnings that he’d “gone too far,” Price didn’t just shrug it off—he flexed back, posting shirtless snaps that scream peak condition. “Concerned about my weight loss? Well don’t be, I feel and look better than ever,” he captioned one gym mirror selfie, a direct clapback to the naysayers questioning if his slimmed-down frame was a liability on the oche.
The transformation didn’t happen overnight. Price, who hung up his rugby boots in 2014 after stints as a hooker for Neath, Cross Keys, and even a brief URC cover role with Glasgow Warriors, has long battled the unique demands of darts life. Late-night finishes at 10 or 11 p.m. often left him ravenous, turning to fast food as the only option in European hotel lobbies. “You come off stage sometimes at 10pm or 11pm at night and you’re absolutely starving, and the only thing you can turn to is fast food,” he explained. “Scrap that—I’ll have something decent in the morning. Going to bed starving is hard work. But it works.” This disciplined shift, coupled with rigorous gym sessions at places like Fitness Factory, saw him drop from XL shirts that hugged his massive rugby build to mediums that now drape over chiseled abs and defined arms. He hasn’t lost the muscle memory in his throwing arm, insisting, “I haven’t lost a lot of fat on my arms. As long as you are practising and you get that muscle memory and repetition. It can affect different people in different ways. It’s been OK for me.” Mentally, it’s been a game-changer: “Just mentally, I feel a lot better in myself. When I’m putting on a medium shirt instead of an XL, it feels a little bit better. As long as I’m confident in myself and feeling better when I go up on stage, it can only help.”
Price’s revamp coincides with a blistering return to form, proving the skeptics wrong one checkout at a time. This season alone, he’s stormed to four Players Championship titles, finished runner-up in two more, and topped the Pro Tour Order of Merit—earning the coveted number one seed for the upcoming Players Championship Finals. Victories at the Baltic Sea Open and Poland Darts Masters, plus a runner-up spot in Bahrain, have swelled his rankings and silenced any talk of decline. “Good year for myself finishing NUMBER 1 SEED for the finals next month winning 4 Players Championship events and runner up in 2, finishing NUMBER 1 on the Pro Tour order of merit,” he boasted online. “Back to some great form and only a matter of time before another big one.” With the World Championships looming in late December and the Premier League on the horizon, Price is favored to add more silverware, his lighter frame fueling sharper focus and endurance during those marathon sessions.
Yet, not everyone’s convinced the Iceman’s melt is all thaw and no flaw. The chatter ignited at the recent European Championship in Dortmund, where his gaunt appearance in the player shirt prompted pundit Damian Vlottes to quip, “I thought it was a kid in his shirt. There’s nothing left of him. You can’t really comment when someone’s overweight, so let’s be respectful when someone’s underweight too—but he’s lost a huge amount.” Joining the fray was Dutch rival Vincent van der Voort, who lamented the loss of Price’s imposing bulk on the Darts Draait Door podcast: “He used to have a lot of muscle—he was massive. Now he looks like a kid! Pretty soon he’ll be getting beaten up by Bradley Brooks. He used to be so broad, always in the gym. But he’s gone too far now. He really should put some weight back on—this isn’t good.” Van der Voort framed it as “friendly advice,” even joking, “I’d tell him to eat a bit more. He owns a fish and chip shop, so that shouldn’t be a problem!” The comments, meant with concern rather than malice, highlighted Price’s shift from the hulking figure who intimidated foes to a sleeker version that some fear might lack staying power.
Price, ever the fighter, wasted no time firing back. Alongside his topless before-and-after shots—one showing his old, bulkier self next to the new ripped physique—he trolled the critics with a photo of a juicy burger and chips, captioned “best watch wa I’m eating.” It’s classic Gezzy: unapologetic, cheeky, and ready to turn fuel into fire. Even England’s Rugby World Cup hero Phil Vickery weighed in positively, commenting “Commitment and consistency brother, awesome” on the post. For Price, this isn’t just vanity—it’s evolution. From his rugby roots, where size was king, to darts, where agility and mental resilience reign, the weight drop has reignited his love for the game. Plans to bulk up with muscle, not fat, signal he’s fine-tuning, not finished.
As the darts calendar hurtles toward its festive pinnacle, Price’s story is a testament to reinvention. In a sport exploding with young guns like Luke Littler, the Iceman’s leaner look isn’t a fade-out—it’s a flex. He’s not just taking the win; he’s taking the wyn, proving that at 40, with abs of steel and a trophy cabinet groaning under three Grand Slams and a world title, he’s cooler, sharper, and hungrier than ever. Critics can keep talking; Price is too busy throwing triples and living his best life. The oche awaits— and this version of Gerwyn Price? He’s built to conquer.
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