"Everyone said he’s done nothing yet, I have now": Gian van Veen sends message to doubters about potential Premier League selection

Gian van Veen became the new European Champion in Dortmund after a gripping 11–10 victory over Luke Humphries, sealing his first ever PDC Major title and confirming his place among the sport’s elite.

The 23-year-old held his nerve in an extraordinary final, surviving match darts before producing a brilliant 100 checkout to clinch the title using treble 16, double 16. He spoke to the media including DartsNews after his European Championship triumph.

“Over the moon — really happy," said Van Veen when asked to sum it up. "I’ve been playing so well this year, picking up my first Players Championship title, getting close on the European Tour, and losing some very good matches in the Majors as well. This weekend was my weekend in the end. Really happy.”

“I missed a hundred — I hit a treble 20 and thought, ‘Okay, two darts, just get it in and you’re done,’” he recalled. “The first dart was on the wire, the second just below, and then he hit the 85 on the bull. That shows you why he’s the world number one. Only the very, very good players can do that under such pressure.

“When he hit that bull, I was thinking, that was your chance. He started the next leg with a 140, but luckily I started with a 180. I got back in the leg, he missed the 69 on tops. If he’d hit that, he’d be sitting here instead of me — I’d be going home a little disappointed of course. But he didn’t, and I took out the hundred. I’m really happy I did.”

The emotion of the victory was clear for all to see, with van Veen breaking down in tears as he celebrated with his family. “Amazing,” he said. “My girlfriend’s here, my manager’s here — they’ve been here all weekend as well. My girlfriend supports me everywhere we go, and it’s amazing to share this specific moment with them. They’ve been behind me for many, many years. To share this title with them is phenomenal.”

Many fellow professionals have long tipped van Veen to make a Major breakthrough, and now that moment has finally arrived, he admits it feels like a weight has been lifted. “Everyone said it — you’re due your first title on stage,” he said. “I’ve had three semi-finals from the last four European Tours. Especially last weekend against Aspinall — 6–4 up, and I lost 7–6. That one really hurt because, even though everyone says they don’t look at social media, we do.

“Everyone said, ‘He’s a fantastic player, but he bottled it once again.’ Of course everyone says you’re due a title, but it’s always going to be difficult. With this playing field, it’s tough. Thankfully, I got over the line this weekend — because if I’d lost this final, it would’ve really hurt. It’s always tough to get to another final, maybe even win the first title, but luckily we did it this weekend.”

When reminded he’s now up to world number seven, van Veen laughed: “What number seven? Not bad!”

With a first Major title secured and a place among the world’s top ten, the conversation quickly turned to the Premier League — and van Veen made no secret of his ambitions. “Hopefully!” he grinned. “If Barry Hearn is listening, I’d love to be in the Premier League next year. So many people talked about it before this weekend — I was number 15, and everyone said, ‘He’s done nothing yet. He can challenge Luke and Michael, but he hasn’t won a title. Well, I have now. If I get the invite next year, I’ll definitely be in it.”

Having been tipped as one of darts’ brightest young talents for over two years, van Veen admits that expectation has been both a blessing and a burden. “Of course, everyone’s talking about you, saying, ‘He’s going to be the next one to do big things,’” he said. “I felt a bit of pressure to show everyone, but at the same time, I’m here for myself — to show what I’m capable of.

“If I lose, everyone can talk about it, but I’m the only one lying in bed thinking about why I lost. It only affects my life, not anyone else’s. So yeah, I always remind myself I’m here for me. Not too much pressure — but maybe a little bit.”

Van Veen’s composure in the deciding leg was remarkable, particularly given his well-documented battle with dartitis earlier in his career. “I think everyone knows where I come from — as you said, struggling with dartitis,” he explained. “You could see it on the double 16 as well, me trying to go through it to get the tension out of my arm. That’s because of dartitis — that’s why I do it.

“It’s always going to be there. I said to myself when I hit the 48, I’m only going to throw for double 16 if I’m 100% sure I’m going to hit it. That’s why I took my time. If it takes ten seconds extra, I don’t care — as long as I hit it, I’m happy. If I missed, Luke would’ve hit double 10 and been champion. It’s very difficult to stay calm under that kind of pressure.”

Despite his breakthrough success, van Veen insists his approach to the rest of the year won’t change. “Not really,” he said. “Yes, it’s nice to win your first Major — of course it’s phenomenal — but I’ll still keep my head down. Especially for the Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals, the main goal is just to get out of the group stage. From there, it’s game by game.

“At the World Championship, my goal is to win my first game ever there. Even if I’d lost on Thursday against Damon, I’d have said the same thing. So no, it doesn’t really change much.”

Van Veen’s maturity beyond his years has impressed many, and he credits that to his education and level-headed outlook on life. “I always said to myself: finish school, finish college, get your degree,” he said. “I got my Tour Card about six months before finishing my degree, but I still got it.

“I said to myself, as long as darts doesn’t work out, you can always get a good job, pay your mortgage, and live a good life. That’s my advice to other players too. You see so many good young players now, 14 or 15 years old, hyped up by social media and everything else. My advice is: finish school, get your degree.

“Look at players like Phil Taylor — and even Paul Lim, he’s 72 and still qualifying for the World Championship! Darts will always be around. Get your degree, then try darts — and if it doesn’t work out, you’ve got a backup plan.”

One of the stories of the evening was van Veen’s hand injury — a cut he sustained earlier in the day which caused issues gripping his darts. “This afternoon I played Ryan Joyce,” he explained. “I use quite a heavy grip on my darts — the diamond grip — but there was one sharp edge, and it cut my finger. It wasn’t painful or anything, but the blood was all over my thumb and index finger, which is how I grip the dart.

“So especially in the semi-final against Michael (van Gerwen), they were slipping all over the place. The first five legs, I was just beating myself up thinking, ‘How does this happen in a Major semi-final? You’re playing so well all weekend, you can’t lose because of this.’

“In the end, Michael missed his chances and I took mine — that’s why I won that game. In the final, I said to myself, ‘Forget about it. Just see what you can do to dry up the blood so it doesn’t affect your game.’ The first few legs it was a bit of an issue, especially on the doubles, but after that I kept my head down and tried not to think about it. It was difficult — but in the end, job done.”

Van Veen also credited the European Tour for accelerating his development and giving him the experience needed to win on the big stage. “The European Tour was massive,” he said. “Everyone talks about getting a Tour Card and playing the Players Championships, but you need to qualify for the European Tours.

“With the new rules, I’m qualified for all of them next year — hopefully I’ll be seeded as well. But the stage experience is phenomenal — playing in front of two, three, four, five thousand people, week in, week out, over 15 weekends.

“It’s great — you’re playing the best in the world all the time. For this weekend especially, all that stage experience really helped. The PDC is doing a very good job with that.”

Finally, van Veen paid tribute to his beaten opponent, Luke Humphries, for the grace and sportsmanship he showed after such a narrow defeat. “Phenomenal,” said van Veen. “That’s why he’s the world number one — he can take defeat so well. I didn’t hear much of his interview after the final, but I heard he was devastated, and he should be. He missed match darts.

“If I’d lost, I’d have been devastated too. But to see how he hugged me, what he said — ‘You deserve it, you’re phenomenal,’ things like that — that’s why he’s the world number one. He’s such a great guy and deserves all the praise he gets.”