"I like to be a bit in the shadows, in the background": Gian van Veen prefers spotlight on Littler, Humphries despite European Championship win

Gian van Veen has shocked the darts world by defeating world number one Luke Humphries to claim his first PDC title at the European Championships in Dortmund last night. The Dutchman had already beaten four-time champion Michael van Gerwen 11-9 in the semi-finals, setting up a thrilling final that would see him etch his name into the sport’s record books.

“I know Luke had some darts for the match,” van Veen admitted to talkSPORT. “He missed one to win it 11-10. Luckily for me, it was very nerve-wracking, of course—my first ever final on TV. To win it was amazing.”

Van Veen’s victory is a landmark achievement. Until his win, only Humphries and Luke Littler had claimed ranked trophies in 2025. “Luke nearly had it yesterday,” van Veen reflected. “But darts is in a very good place at the moment, especially with both Lukes playing phenomenally. It’s very difficult to pick up a title when they are playing—but luckily, I did it this weekend.”

Despite the growing attention on young stars like Littler, van Veen says he prefers to stay out of the spotlight. “I like to be a bit in the shadows, in the background. Of course, what Luke Littler is doing is amazing, not just for himself but for other players. The publicity he’s getting is crazy because of what he’s done in the past 18–24 months. As long as he shines, that’s fine by me.”

At just 23 years old, van Veen has already shown a precocious talent. “I started playing darts when I was about nine or ten. My parents always watched it on television, and so did I. I realized when I was about 10 or 11 that I was better than most of the players in my region,” he said. Football was also an early passion, but van Veen quickly chose darts. “After a couple of months, I had to pick between football or darts on Saturdays. It was an easy decision.”

The landscape of darts has changed dramatically in recent years, he observes. “You can see it now with Luke and Luke dominating—you’ve got one at 30, the other just 18. I won a title at only 23. Darts is in a very good place. Especially in Scotland, there are some very talented youth players from about 14 or 15 years old coming through, thanks to what Luke Littler is doing. It’s perfect for the sport.”

Van Veen also revealed he had played the final with a small cut on his thumb, a seemingly minor injury that nonetheless affected his grip. “I use a very heavy grip on my darts, and the darts rolled over the cut every time, so I kept bleeding. One visit my hands were very slippery, another very dry—the darts were flying all over the place. That’s what a minor cut can do to a dart player.”

Looking ahead, van Veen has his sights set on the World Championships. “To put it lightly, it hasn’t been my best event so far. I played it twice and never won a game at Ally Pally. But now I’m world number seven, so there’s going to be some pressure. I think I’m in the best form I’ve ever been, so hopefully I can do some damage to the other players, and hopefully to Luke and Luke as well, and give them a challenge.”