🗣️ "If someone had said I will achieve what I have achieved, I would probably have laughed in their face!" Gian van Veen opens up on meeting his idols, overcoming dartitis and making his mark ahead of his Paddy Power World Darts Championship debut! 👇
Gian van Veen opens up on battle against dartitis: ''I had some games where I was almost in tears''
PDCThursday, 14 December 2023 at 15:42
Gian van Veen is one of the Dutch competitors at this year's World Darts Championship and is preparing to step onto the magical stage at Alexandra Palace for the first time. After an excellent debut year on the Pro Tour, he managed to qualify easily for the most important tournament of the year.
Van Veen reached two quarterfinals on the Euro Tour this season, reached a Pro Tour final, won six tournaments on the Development Tour and was in the final of the PDC World Youth Championship. In addition, Van Veen reached the semifinals at the European Championship by beating Michael van Gerwen, among others.
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Speaking with the PDC, the Dutchman proudly looks back on his year. “I am really proud of what I’ve achieved. If someone had said I will achieve what I have achieved, I would probably have laughed in their face! Of course I have had some setbacks, but it’s been a really positive season and hopefully it will continue in 2024.”
Van Veen won his Tour Card in January 2023, requiring him to secure a position in the top-64 of the world rankings within two years to retain his Tour Card in 2025. After less than one year, Van Veen already succeeded. He is now 45th on the PDC Order of Merit and an entry into the top-40 rankings beckons after the World Darts Championship.
And that while Van Veen had to deal with dartitis, the nightmare of every darter, twice in the past. ''I had some games where I was almost in tears because I couldn’t release my dart,” Van Veen recalls. “It was a struggle and I didn’t look forward to playing, because it cost so much energy, and when I was playing, I felt all those eyes on me. I was still hitting consistent averages though. On the Challenge Tour, I made quarter-finals, semi-finals, and I even won a Challenge Tour and Development Tour title with dartitis. I felt guilty for disrupting my opponents, but I kept winning and my confidence kept growing because I was winning, so in a certain way, it probably helped my career.”
On Monday, December 18, Van Veen will make his debut at the World Darts Championship against Man Lok Leung of Hong Kong. It will be his first time at Alexandra Palace, as the 21-year-old Dutchman has never been there as a fan either.
“I have never been to Alexandra Palace before, because I always said I’m not going until I’ve played on that stage,” reveals the 21-year-old. “It will be amazing. I am really looking forward to walking through those doors for the first time. I think I’ve got that experience now of playing on the stage and everything that comes with it, so I will take it in my stride and we will see how it goes at the World Championship.”
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