Gian van Veen is experiencing a remarkable spell in his still young darts career. The 24-year-old Dutchman has been selected by the PDC for the World Series of Darts in Australia and New Zealand for the first time. What was meant to be a superb blend of elite sport and travel started with a hefty dose of stress. His suitcases stayed behind in Paris for days.
Van Veen travelled with his girlfriend Kyana Frauenfelder to Auckland first for the
New Zealand Darts Masters. The Dutchman reached the quarter-finals there, where Jonny Clayton proved too strong. The Welshman would go on to win the tournament.
After the event, Van Veen headed to Sydney, where the
Australian Darts Masters are on the schedule on Friday. The Dutchman and his girlfriend deliberately travelled to Australia a bit earlier. That gave them the chance to see some of Sydney before the darts duties resumed.
“It’s a completely different world out here,” Van Veen said on the podcast
Darts Draait Door. “We were already here early to really see something. Sydney was definitely a city still on my list of places I wanted to visit one day. If you can combine that with the World Series, that’s brilliant. We’re taking it all in here.”
Suitcases left behind in Paris
The holiday vibe was badly disrupted by an annoying problem. The suitcases of Van Veen and his girlfriend had not travelled with them to Australia. The luggage was left in Paris, leaving the pair without clothes and other personal items for days.
Van Veen’s darts gear was also in the missing baggage. For a professional player that is far from ideal, especially with a key World Series event just around the corner.
“We weren’t the only ones, there was a long line of people whose suitcases hadn’t arrived,” Van Veen explained. As they were told the bags would land soon, he and Frauenfelder initially tried to solve the issue pragmatically.
“We shopped here day by day for the next day, because they said the suitcases would be back quickly.”
When the luggage still hadn’t turned up after a few days, another solution was needed. “On Wednesday we requested a laundry service at the hotel, because that was much cheaper than buying two new outfits again. That got us through those days.”
Good news finally arrived on Thursday evening: the suitcases were delivered to the hotel after all. Van Veen could at last use his own gear again and fully prepare for the next tournament.
Gian van Veen will be in action at the Australian Darts Masters this weekend
No issue with Australian winter
Despite the problems, Van Veen looks back on his first taste of Australia with real pleasure. The fact it’s winter there right now doesn’t bother the Dutchman at all. “I’d rather be here at eighteen degrees than be throwing in 35 degrees,” said Van Veen. “We had some sun the first few days, so it was lovely then. Afterwards there was a lot of rain, but that’s winter as well. So that was to be expected.”
While some players, including Gerwyn Price, have previously been critical of the Australian winter weather, Van Veen continues to enjoy the unique experience.
Van Veen discovers vlogging
Alongside the darts, Van Veen is using his time Down Under to try new things. He has started documenting his trip in videos for social media. “I actually enjoy doing that. I’m someone who is very active on social media anyway. There’s no harm in this and I like giving people a behind-the-scenes look.”
According to Van Veen, the atmosphere within the player group also differs from many regular PDC events. “It’s all a bit more relaxed here and we’re having a bit of banter among ourselves. That’s nice for a change. I’m really enjoying it here.”
After a turbulent start, Van Veen can now focus fully on his darts. In Sydney he gets another chance to test himself against the world’s best. His first World Series adventure has already produced plenty of memorable stories.