Tomas 'Shorty' Seyler passed away
Tomas Seyler - the former German number 1 - passed away for most unexpected and certainly much too early on 11. July only a few days before his 50. Birthday. End of June Seyler had a breakdown in health from which he never recovered.
Seyler, born in Bremerhaven, was shipbuilder. He played from 1993 - 2005 on the BDO Circuit before he switched to the PDC in 2005. 2014/15 he had a Tour Card, 2016 he played the last time on the PDC Circuit. After that time one didn't hear much of him as a darts player but more of Seyler as a sports pundit who first worked for the TV channel Sport 1 and later for DAZN at the side of Elmar Paulke. End of 2021 this career ended aprupt and without giving reasons and Seyler till his death run the Shorty-Merch UG for Sport and Darts Equipment.
2001, 2002 and 2004 Seyler was German Champion. 2005 and 2012 he won the German Gold Cup. Together with Andre Welge he formed a very successful pair which won 2004 the Dutch Open and the Deutsche Two Person Meisterschaft and as well the German Open Pairs 2005 and the Dortmund Open Pairs in 2009. 2006 both Seyler and Welge were invited as the very first Germans to take part in the PDC World Championship. Seyler returned in 2007, 2010 and 2014. The second round in 2006 stayed his best result. He never qualified for the BDO World Championship but was invited to the BDO World Trophy in 2003 and 2004 and reached the Last 16 of the World Masters in 2003. Till last season Seyler played in the DDV Bundesliga for the DC Vegesack Bremen.
Seyler - who was the German number 1 from 2000 for several years - has a large share both as player and as pundit that the sport of darts got as popular in Germany as it is now.
The darts world mourns for a German pioneer of the sport - we offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.