Vincent van der Voort suffering from acute appendicitis; participation in World Championship qualifier in jeopardy

Things are not going well for Vincent van der Voort. The Dutch Destroyer has been plagued by injuries many times in his career, and just before the World Championship qualification tournament he suddenly had to go under the knife.

Van der Voort had to undergo emergency surgery last Tuesday to remove his appendix. "Sunday I was already suffering quite a bit and Monday it only got worse. I went to the hospital on Tuesday and before I knew it I had to undergo surgery for acute appendicitis," he told to Sportnieuws.nl.

The timing could hardly be worse. On Monday, Van der Voort is expected in Wigan to take part in the final qualifying tournament for the World Darts Championship. At this event, Tour Card holders may split the final three (or four if Gian van Veen becomes World Youth Champion on Sunday) spots at the World Darts Championship.

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Van der Voort is not qualified thus also has a last chance at the World Championship qualifier. It is by no means certain if 'The Dutch Destroyer' will be able to compete in the qualifier. "It's in the right side so I can hardly lean to throw. Saturday I will make the decision whether I will travel or not. If I feel it won't go, I'm not going to try against my better judgment," said Van der Voort, who will have to wait and see if he will be fit enough.

Should Van der Voort conclude that he cannot compete in the World Championship qualifying tournament, he might just never compete in the World Darts Championship again. Next year, "Fast Vinnie" will take a sabbatical. In 2025, Van der Voort will decide whether he will quit for good, or return to the PDC circuit in 2026.

The 48-year-old Dutchman played at a world championship 22 times in the past. In 2005, he reached the quarterfinals at Lakeside. Van der Voort repeated that same performance at the 2011 and 2015 PDC World Championships.