Gian Van Veen is one of the up-and-coming stars of Dutch darts. Only 21 years old, he gained a PDC Tour Card at the first time of asking earlier this year at Q-School although the challenge of balancing his studies with his darts hasn't been easy.
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"I'm really enjoying my time on the Pro Tour," Van Veen revealed in a conversation with The Weekly Dartscast, discussing the pressures he felt as one of the favourites at Q-School. "I think I was eighth maybe ninth going into the final day. So I knew I had to get some points and to win at least one or two games. Luckily I did."
Alongside his blossoming career as a dart player, Van Veen is also studying for a degree in aviation engineering. The balancing of both careers is proving tricky for the young Dutchman but he is adamant it will be "well worth the effort."
"I still have to go to school for two months," he explains. "Afterwards I will certainly not work full-time, because I certainly do not want to miss any tournaments. But I will look for a job, it seems good to me to keep busy, even if I don't have a tournament."
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.