Dom Taylor: Darts player ‘deeply sorry’ after failing drug test

Dom Taylor says he is “deeply sorry” after a failed drug test resulted in him being disqualified from the PDC World Darts Championship.

England’s Taylor, who beat Oscar Lukasiak in the first round at Alexandra Palace, has undergone testing in line with “ongoing anti-doping measures”, the darts regulator said on Friday.

Taylor said he apologizes for the “blatant lie” and that he will “come back to prove himself.”

The 27-year-old said his mental health had been affected by a series of personal traumas, including the anniversary of his daughter’s death.

He was suspended for a month last January, after failing a drug test the previous year.

After Lukasiak’s defeat, Taylor said he “recovered” and called the previous suspension “the biggest letdown of my life.”

“I need to apologize for blatantly lying to you all in my interview after my Oscar win last week, where I was lying to myself and everyone around me,” Taylor wrote on Facebook.

“I have completed and completed the course I was required to do at the end of last year/beginning of this year, along with everything I was required to do and the penalties.”

The potential penalty was reduced by two years after it was proven that the substance was not a performance enhancer and she was taken out of competition, while also committing to complete a three-month treatment program approved by the UK Anti-Doping Authority.

Taylor was scheduled to play Johnny Clayton in the second round, with Clayton receiving a bye to the third round after Taylor was suspended.