Almost a year after his heartbreaking defeat to Gian van Veen at the World Youth,
Jurjen van der Velde has still qualified for the World Darts Championship. The Dutchman secured a spot via the Development Tour.
Last year, Van der Velde almost qualified for the previous World Championship. He was in the final of the PDC World Youth Championship, where he was given five match darts to win from Gian van Veen. In exploiting one of these matchdarts, Van der Velde would have grabbed an Ally Pally spot.
The 22-year-old dart player then also lost his PDC Tour Card and had to play on the Challenge Tour and Development Tour this year, finishing sixth on the Development Tour Order of Merit. The four highest ranked players who had not yet qualified for the World Darts Championship would force participation.
Cameron Crabtree, however, had already assured himself for the World Darts Championship via the Pro Tour. Owen Bates was just on the right side of the line, but gained enough pounds in the last two Players Championship tournaments to qualify through the Pro Tour as well. As a result, Van der Velde's sixth-place finish is enough to compete at Alexandra Palace in December.