"Blink and you miss it. We didn't" - Michael van Gerwen enjoys solar eclipse in Ibiza with his children
PDCThursday, 13 August 2026 at 16:06
Michael van Gerwen is not finding much joy on the oche right now, He is faced with a mammoth second half to the 2026 season in which he has a lot of ranking money on the line and a possible slide down the PDC Order of Merit. None of that is currently on his mind right now as he enjoys his holiday with his kids while enjoying a special and rare occasion.
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Much of Europe last night were treated to a solar eclipse, the largest since 1999. Flocks of people were leaving their house with protective glasses and other tools to gaze in awe at the sight in the sky.
In Ibiza, van Gerwen came prepared with his two kids, Zoe and Mike, also enjoying the spectacle. He posted them watching it in full flow on Instagram with the caption: "Blink and you miss it. We didn't."
With all the trouble he is enduring on the oche, this is a moment where he can wipe that from his mind and relax with the people that he loves in a much needed reset before getting back in the thick of it.
Down Under trip scrapped with mega task ahead
The New Zealand Darts Masters is soon to get underway. Van Gerwen, normally one of the first names on the World Series of Darts lists for these events, opted not to make the trip this time around, joining Luke Littler and Luke Humphries in the absentees from the tournaments in Auckland and Wollongong.
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This comes after a poor World Matchplay campaign which ultimately saw him drop out of the top four in the world for the first time in 13 years following a second round exit to fellow countryman Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Now seventh in the world, this is a new reality that van Gerwen must get used to, and even that may seem like a dream spot to be compared to what is waiting for him.
Fortunately, a number of early major exits in the Autumn of 2024 means that there is a chance to gain some ranking money with some deep runs. This will be needed with a whole chunk coming off ahead of the PDC World Darts Championship.
Two years ago, van Gerwen was a passenger in the final as Littler strode to glory at Ally Pally for the first time. Now, he could be going there ranked just inside the top 20. A daunting thought for one of the greats of the sport who has a lot of work to do to avoid that parilous threat.
Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I didn't like the bloke,but he was a real wind up merchant. His talent is wastedrick6712-08-2026
- He wouldn't get a tour card if there was a million on it
Amusementman09-08-2026 - This gormless, dull as dishwater nobody hasn't done anything this year and has absolutely no right to be considered for anything other than checking people's tickets on entry and it is likely he couldn't cope with that.richieburnettrocks09-08-2026
- How can PDC players play in streamed events?medinabello04-08-2026
- Great comment, some of the matches were a bit one sided but that was more to do with the quality on show.mikedarts03-08-2026
- I just think Aspinall loves the razzmatazz rather than real darts, goes on about his walk on and the premier league, loves exhibitions and proposed a 'royal rumble' and i'm not sure if it was him that suggested a Ryder Cup style tournament? I think they do need to look at how the ranking tournaments are treated, the UK Open, Euro Championships, Players' Championship all shoe-horned into four or so days rather than lasting all week and giving more players a chance to be on the big stage.Baphomet03-08-2026
- I play at home against myself, sometimes on Dartcounter, never played league or county. My best average on 501 was 107 which I hit last year. Today I was averaging 94 on a few games of 501, no warm up, just a quick chuck after dinner. I imagine it's a bit different up on stage. I play well at home though and do pretty good for only around 20 minutes play per day. 🙂PaulC02-08-2026
- Indeed I've been to Dublin on numerous occasion the atmosphere was electric and the crowd were always pumped plus the City West was a cool venue. It was a good week away The double start and finish is different and actually very enjoyable but a week in a nothing happening crime riddled city in a soulless stadium does not appeal. The venue does not merit the competition and format.richieburnettrocks02-08-2026
- the grand prix is struggling so we need to change the format? it's the only tournament that HAS a different variant, and the reason it's struggling is the shitty venue/crowd, not the format. literally any other tournament on the calendar would've been a better example.colt01-08-2026
- Beau's just gone 14-12-11-10 to win her second round PC game from 5-2 down. She's a true competitor not a show pony.Scoobedybop29-07-2026
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