"It was tough, but I came out stronger" - Jitse van der Wal overcame suicidal thoughts before winning PDC Tour Card

Jitse van der Wal was one of the Dutchman who successfully took his chance at Q-School early this year. The 25-year-old dart player captured a PDC Tour Card there for the first time in his career and after six months on the Pro Tour is ranked 128th in the world rankings. For Van der Wal, however, life so far has not been about roses.

Van der Wal is only 25, but has already had an eventful life. In his youth he was severely bullied at school, which made darts a nice distraction. After a while, however, he suffered from dartitis. "That really exists and I wouldn't wish that on anyone at all, not even my worst enemy," he told MillionairesStyle. "Your brain and your elbow just block. It's a kind of fear of failure. Then I stopped completely for six months. I thought it was done."

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The combination of dartitis and bullying at school caused Van der Wal to lose it at one point and he tried to end his life. "Fortunately that didn't work out," he now looks back on it.

Jitse van der Wal in action on the European Tour earlier this year

"I did have it just fine at home," he continued. "My mom and dad made sure I had a good situation at home. That's the trade-off, though, because you're hurting others, too."

Van der Wal does feel stronger in life now because of everything he has been through. "That has made me better able to handle disappointments. Sometimes I have a relapse. If I lose: some times that falls better than others. I can also really talk myself into the pit, but luckily I have a family that drags me out. It was tough, but I got stronger from it."

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