Gian Van Veen only captured his PDC Tour Card at the beginning of this year, but in recent months he has already made a special impression.
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The 21-year-old Van Veen graduated last summer and currently works part-time at a company that sells cargo space in airplanes. At the end of the year, however, he is already saying goodbye to his office near Schiphol: "I don't need it financially anymore. I can make ends meet from darts now," Van Veen said to Omroep Gelderland.
Van Veen has been doing extremely well lately. In his debut year with the PDC he climbed to 52nd in the world rankings and reached the semifinals of the European Championship last weekend. I didn't expect it, but it didn't come out of nowhere."
On Sunday, November 26, Van Veen will take on Luke Littler in the final of the Youth World Cup. "It's a nice prize to have on your record, but it's a bit double. My biggest focus is still the big world championship."
"I want to get through the first round at least in Alexandra Palace," Van Veen continued. "After that, we'll see. I look at it from match to match. I'm working on it as little as possible and want to show what I can do. I also have to be able to keep it up, otherwise you don't have anything yet."
Darteritus
For Van Veen, this is actually all a bonus after he struggled with dartitis several years ago. "It's a mental block, a kind of fear of failure. You don't dare let go of the arrow because you think and you know you'll miss. It took psychologists and mental coaches, but the ultimate solution was winning matches. Despite suffering from it, I did get better. Winning matches brought the self-confidence back."
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
Danny Noppert & Damon Heta were among the eight players to secure their place in the 2023 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts at Friday's Tour Card Holder Qualifier.
The 32-player field has now been finalised, with the draw set to take place on Monday!
👉 bit.ly/23GSODField