Gian van Veen has accepted his runner-up finish at the World Darts Championship. The Dutchman had to concede at Alexandra Palace to Luke Littler, who claimed the title in dominant fashion. Van Veen was understandably disappointed, but in his analysis ‘GVV The Giant’ could only admit that Littler was simply better.
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With the runner-up trophy in hand, Van Veen appeared in front of Viaplay’s camera afterwards. “It’s a bit smaller than I’d hoped,” he said with a wry smile. Then came the immediate sporting acknowledgement. “He was just the better player tonight. Very frustrating.”
That frustration stemmed mainly from the contrast with the rest of the tournament. Van Veen had reached the final with convincing wins over the likes of Luke Humphries and Gary Anderson and had been in excellent form in recent weeks. Precisely for that reason, the one-sided final hit hard. “I played a very good tournament, but today was a bit less,” he concluded.
According to Van Veen, the difference wasn’t about nerve or mindset, but details that are decisive at this level. “My first dart often didn’t land in treble 20,” he explained. “And he fires one 180 after another. And then you know: he’s not going to choke, he’s not going to miss.”
Where Van Veen had ruthlessly punished chances in earlier matches, he was now just a step behind. The Dutchman had opportunities to pull away early, but failed to take them. “I missed chances to go 2-0 up in sets,” he acknowledged. That moment proved crucial in hindsight, because Littler then took control for good.
Van Veen watched as the reigning world champion kept raising his level. The scoring never let up, the checkouts landed at the right moments, and every glimmer of hope was quickly snuffed out. “Then you just know it’s going to be very difficult,” said Van Veen, who noticed that Littler never wavered.
Even so, Van Veen didn’t want to reduce his final to pure disappointment. Paradoxical as it sounded, he looked back on his Worlds with pride. “I’m frustrated that it didn’t happen tonight, but he was simply the best player,” he said. “As crazy as it sounds, I’m proud of this tournament. He was really very good tonight, so I can live with it.”
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.
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