Japanese · Kagawa Prefecture, Japan · Born 5 February 1982Japanese darts player nicknamed 'The Miracle', the first Asian player to win a steel-tip world title, taking back-to-back BDO Women's World Championships in 2019 and 2020.
Born in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, on 5 February 1982, Mikuru Suzuki took up darts in her late twenties after working in a department store selling clothes and cosmetics, a career switch her family initially found puzzling. She built her reputation on Japan's soft-tip darts circuit before transitioning to steel-tip competition. Suzuki qualified for the 2019 BDO World Championship as an outsider and caused a sensation, defeating four-time champion and defending champion Lisa Ashton 2-0 in the first round before going on to win the title at age 36 — the first Asian player, male or female, to win a steel-tip darts world championship. She defended her title successfully in 2020, again beating Ashton in the final, to become the first back-to-back Asian champion in the sport. Described in the media as the 'Phil Taylor of women's darts', a comparison she has modestly deflected, Suzuki also won the WDF World Cup singles and doubles in 2019 and the Dutch Open, and has been a seven-time Japan Ladies Annual Champion. She competed at the PDC World Championship in 2020 and 2024. Suzuki remains one of the most successful darts exports from Asia and a pioneering figure who opened the door for a new generation of Japanese players on the international stage.
Becoming the first Asian player to win a steel-tip darts world title, and defending it
How They Played
Precise, high-percentage scorer with a calm temperament
Lasting Impact
A pioneering figure for Asian darts, inspiring a new generation of Japanese players
Japanese Athletes