Gian van Veen dreams of years of rivalry with Luke Littler: "Can be at the same level as him in 10 years’ time and dominate"

Gian van Veen looks to the future of professional darts with confidence. The 23-year-old Dutchman hopes to compete at the highest level for years to come against none other than darts sensation Luke Littler, with whom he recently fought out a spectacular semifinal at the German Darts Grand Prix.

Van Veen delivered an impressive performance there by beating 'The Nuke' 7-4. The darter from Poederoijen played his best match of the tournament and recorded an average of over 110 per turn.

The reigning World Youth Champion started the match furiously. Two 100+ finishes gave the Dutchman a 3-0 lead. Littler fought back and then won four legs in a row, but it was Van Veen who regained control of the match. The Dutchman turned the 3-4 deficit into a 7-4 victory and qualified for the final in Munich.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Van Veen expressed hope that he and Littler can dominate the sport in the future. “Luke will be around for many more years to come. Hopefully I can be at the same level as him in 10 years’ time and dominate the sport with him.  

“I beat Luke with a 110 average but that is what you need to do to overcome him. It’s tough to do it week in and week out.  

Van Veen also referred to the successes of Gerwyn Price, who has now won seven times from Littler. “Gezzy Price beat him six times so he knew what he had to do to overcome Luke and be in his head.  

“If I play like how I did in Munich then of course I can always triumph against him.  

The Dutchman also expressed his impression of the way Littler fought back in the match against Van Veen at the German Darts Grand Prix. “He is a phenomenal player. I was 3-0 up and he changed his darts and put in four amazing legs.  

“I was like ‘wow here we go’. Luckily I turned it around but he’s so naturally talented. I just hope I can make his games feel difficult against me for years to come.”