Who is Darren Burnett and what did he say about retiring from international bowls?

DISTINGUISHED multi-award-winning bowls subordinate Darren Burnett announced his status from planetary outdoor matches successful June 2023.

However, he's inactive going beardown indoors and is competing astatine the World Indoor Bowls Championship successful 2025.

Revealing his determination to measurement down from the outdoor sport, the Scot told the BBC: "The timing conscionable felt right; it's thing I've been mulling connected for immoderate clip now."

Burnett cited a deficiency of advancement successful the athletics arsenic his crushed for stepping down aft 20 years of competing for Scotland.

He besides expressed his disappointment astatine losing his caput coach, David Gourlay, successful the lead-up to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Burnett said: "We request to proceed developing.

"Over the past 18 months we person scuttered astir a spot if I americium being honest.

"I deliberation we truly request to instrumentality a adjacent look astatine wherever we are going and effort and get backmost down that way due to the fact that determination is 1 happening for sure, different countries volition support progressing truthful we request to bash the same."

But contempt stepping distant from the outdoor arena, the Arbroath autochthonal has shown nary signs of stopping playing successful the indoor country arsenic helium continues to enactment internationally for the 2025 Wold Indoor Bowls Championships.

Burnett and bowls

Born May 27, 1976, successful Arbroath, Darren started to prime up the athletics astatine the property of 8 done his family.

His precocious begetter was a erstwhile Scottish planetary and it's nary astonishment that the pome didn't autumn acold from the tree.

With large precision and phenomenal tactics, Darren won titles successful the section Dundee country from a young age, making his debut successful the Scotland Junior International (Under 25) astatine the property of 17 successful 1993.

Global debuts rapidly followed for the young talented bowler, rapidly cementing his spot arsenic 1 of Scotland’s apical players successful the precocious 90s and aboriginal 2000s.

International and beyond: An incoming legacy

The rising prima went connected to triumph 4 medals astatine the World Outdoor Championship betwixt 2008-2016.

Darren won golden successful the 2012 Adelaide Men's triples and besides took location a metallic successful 2008, and 2 bronze medals successful 2012 and 2016.

Ex-bowls Scotland main enforcement Alan McMillan praised Burnett's "incredible planetary career".

The now-retired seasoned besides went connected to play successful the Commonwealth Games, wherever helium gained a just magnitude of designation for his unwavering talents.

Burnett seized a golden medal successful the men's singles aft defeating Canada's highly accomplished bowler Ryan Bester astatine the 2014 Games.

The Bester vs. Burnett showdown saw Bester taking an aboriginal lead, but Burnett swiftly obtained momentum, gaining a monolithic vantage and winning with a people of 21-9 successful the final.

This is conscionable 1 of galore nail-biting finales that Burnett dominated.

He won different Commonwealth golden 4 years aboriginal successful the men's triples astatine the Gold Coast games.

Now returning to the well-known country of indoor bowls, the Scottish superstar intends to grow his medal postulation upon his instrumentality to the 2025 World Indoor Bowls Championships.

He past won the singles rubric successful 2014.

Darren bushed Blake Nairn successful a 2-0 circular 1 of the men's singles, and is expected to play Robert Paxton connected Tuesday, January 21.

The super-star bowler, alongside his spouse Stewart Anderson, won the unfastened pairs rubric astatine the 2024 championships, a feat they achieved successful 2016 and 2022 arsenic well.

However successful 2025 the brace mislaid their circular 1 lucifer to Po Ting Hei and Jason Choi.

Personal beingness beyond the bowls

Apart from being a champion successful the satellite of bowls, Darren works arsenic a policeman successful Arbroath, wherever helium is joined to woman Linsey.

They person 2 daughters, Isla and Evie, who helium says person supported him passim his competitory journey.

He stated, "I've had the enactment of my woman and daughters, who person been contiguous and contributed to the longevity and occurrence I person achieved."