Another side of Gian van Veen: top darter appears immaculately dressed at wedding

Normally, darts fans see Gian van Veen on stage in his distinctive match shirt: black and white accents, a focused look, and darts gripped firmly in hand. Last weekend, however, it wasn’t the stage where the Dutch star impressed, but a wedding reception where he appeared strikingly stylish.

The current world number three shared a photo on Instagram posing in a light-colored, elegant suit. He briefly swapped his usual sports attire for a far more refined look. The occasion was a special one: the wedding of one of his best friends.

Van Veen wrote with the photo: "Very special day yesterday for one of my best friends. I am very grateful to be invited to his wedding and to share this moment with team @machdartsmanagement"

The groom in the shared photo was Ronnie Rickner, who works as a coach and partner at Mach Darts Management. Rickner is also active within the darts world and is taking part this week in events on the PDC Challenge Tour, the circuit for players without a PDC Tour Card.

For Van Veen, the festivities provide a welcome break from an intense and eventful darts year. Over the past twelve months, the Dutchman firmly broke through to the absolute world elite and enjoyed his major international breakthrough at the World Darts Championship in London.

There, he impressively battled his way to the World Championship final. In that decider he ultimately had to bow to the Luke Littler, who has since become a two-time world champion. Despite that defeat, Van Veen’s performances confirmed that he now belongs to the absolute elite of global darts.

His strong results also earned him a place in the prestigious Premier League Darts, the PDC’s weekly travelling showpiece. There he faced the sport’s biggest names for months, including compatriot Michael van Gerwen. Although both Van Veen and Van Gerwen ultimately failed to qualify for the play-offs later this month, the young Dutchman gained plenty of valuable experience at the highest level.

Van Veen’s season, however, has not been all sporting highs. Earlier this year he faced serious health problems due to kidney stones. While such stones sometimes pass naturally, that proved impossible for Van Veen. The stones were simply too large, making surgery necessary.

The procedure visibly affected his form. In the weeks after the operation, his results dipped somewhat and Van Veen didn’t always look as sharp on the oche. Yet the upward trend now seems to have returned. In recent weeks he has been posting high averages again and increasingly showing the level that sparked his breakthrough earlier this season.

Van Veen’s withdrawal from this week’s PDC floor events therefore appears to be a deliberate choice to make time for an important private moment. And judging by the smile in the shared photo, the Dutch darter clearly has no regrets.