"I didn't want to cry, but then I saw my girlfriend in tears" - Gian van Veen emotional after first major title

What an evening, what a story. Gian van Veen wrote darts history on Sunday by capturing the European title in Dortmund. The only 23-year-old Brabander had enjoyed top form in recent months, but rarely saw that rewarded with results. Until this weekend. Despite a cut on his thumb, nerve-wracking moments and missed match darts, Van Veen took his very first major title - and how.

Around 2 a.m., just a few hours after his greatest triumph ever, Van Veen walked into his dark home in the town of Andel. The contrasts could not have been greater. "You win such a big title and 2.5 hours later you're just lying in your own bed, as if nothing happened," Van Veen told Nu.nl. "My girlfriend had to get up at 5:45 a.m. for her job at Jumbo, so we went straight to sleep. No party, no champagne - just to bed."

What happened in his phone, however, was a party in itself: more than 130 unopened congratulations poured in. "My phone exploded," he says. "SO many sweet messages, I haven't been able to read everything by a long shot."

The road to that European Championship title was anything but easy. After an impressive 11-9 victory over Michael van Gerwen in the semifinals, Van Veen faced none other than Luke Humphries, the world number one, in the final.

The Dutchman seemed to be about to decide the match: two matchdarts on tops, and the cup within reach. But both arrows just missed their target. At that moment I thought: this is my chance. This will be a weekend that will only be remembered as a disaster. One of my matchdarts hit the iron... I really thought it was over," recalls Van Veen.

But the script took a different turn. Humphries missed his matchdart on tops, after which Van Veen threw out 100 points with double 16. The emotion was enormous. A primal scream, followed by tears. "I didn't want to cry at all," he says with a smile. "When I'm watching darts with my girlfriend and someone is on stage crying, I always say, 'I would never do that.' And then you're there yourself, and it happens anyway. I saw my girlfriend and manager crying in the hall, and then it was done. Everything came out."

The emotion ran deep - and that is not surprising. In recent months Van Veen played fantastic, with towering averages and impressive performances. The defeat against Luke Littler at the World Grand Prix was the most painful example: an average of 106.47, but still a loss.

Those contrasts earned him criticism in addition to praise. "Of course I got that," he recounts honestly. "People are quick to say, 'He can't do it on television.' But yes, I just often encountered someone who played even better. People sometimes forget how small the differences are at this level. Still, it is nice that I have now shown that I am cut from the right cloth."

As if the mental pressure wasn't enough, Van Veen also suffered physical setbacks. In his quarterfinal he suffered a cut on his thumb, which continued to bleed during the semifinals and finals. "I use darts with a grip of small diamonds," he explained. "There was a piece loose, causing me to open my finger. It kept bleeding and I didn't always have a good grip. Sometimes an arrow really flew the wrong way. Fortunately, it went well enough to win."

The detail makes his performance all the more impressive. While other players would get handled or distracted, Van Veen remained calm and focused. "It's not ideal, but you just have to keep going. You only have one chance to take a title like this."

With his European title, Van Veen rises to seventh place in the PDC world rankings. This now makes him the second best Dutchman, right behind Michael van Gerwen. Moreover, the victory earns him 120,000 pounds (about 145,000 euros) in prize money - a reward for months of hard work and mental resilience.

But more importantly, his name is now among the greatest darters of the moment. And that opens doors.There is a good chance that Van Veen will make his debut in the prestigious Premier League Darts next year. Even before the European Darts Championship he was mentioned as a possible participant, but after this title that call will only get louder.

"That would really be the ultimate," he says with glistening eyes. "The Premier League Darts is something you only want to experience once in your life as a darter. I heard people say, 'Gian hasn't shown anything on television yet.' Well, they can't say that now."

With his victory, Van Veen joins a select group of Dutch darters who have won a major international television tournament. And perhaps more importantly, he does so at a time when the Netherlands is yearning for new success after Van Gerwen's dominance in the previous decade.

His style of play - energetic, emotional and with an ironclad scoring ability - makes him loved by fans and feared by opponents. "Gian plays with flair," commentator Wayne Mardle said afterwards. "He has something you can't teach: guts in the big moments."

From a quiet night in Andel to thunderous applause in Dortmund - the contrast typifies Gian van Veen's down-to-earthness.He enjoys himself, but stays with both feet on the ground. "I don't want to get ahead of myself," he says. "This is great, but it's also just the beginning. There's a lot more to come."

If his current form predicts anything, it is that we will often hear the name Gian van Veen. The boy who cut his thumb, couldn't hold back his tears and still conquered Europe.