Gian van Veen’s real first name, girlfriend, net worth and reason he nearly quit darts | Other | Sport

Gian van Veen is making a splash at the World Darts Championship, having reached the semi-finals for the very first time. The young Dutchman is rated as one of the best up-and-coming talents in the sport and is beginning to deliver on his potential. He will face Gary Anderson for a place in the final against either Luke Littler or Ryan Searle this weekend.

If he manages to win the top prize at Alexandra Palace, it won’t be his first major title. He went into the tournament as one of the dark horses after scooping the European Championship earlier this year. Although the 21-year-old is emerging as a star of the sport, many fans are only just realising that he doesn’t use his real name and that he nearly quit darts prematurely.

Express Sport rounds up everything you need to know about Van Veen…

Real first name

Interestingly, he doesn’t go by his real first name. His full name is Pieter Gerard van Veen but he has decided to use Gian when competing at the oche. As far as nicknames go, he is known as The Giant thanks to his imposing six-foot-four frame.

Long-term girlfriend

Van Veen is currently dating Kyana Frauenfelder, with their relationship spanning over six years. She is often spotted watching him at tournaments and often travels the world with him to support his career.

The couple were seen celebrating with each other after he won the European Championship and have recently bought a house together.

Impressive net worth

The youngster has already got plenty of money behind him, with The Sun estimating his net worth to be around £750,000. He has already earned £200,000 for reaching the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship.

If he goes on to win the entire thing, Van Veen will claim the highest single payout in the history of professional darts by landing the £1million jackpot.

Reason he nearly quit darts

Things could have ended up so differently for Van Veen if he had decided to quit darts as a youth player. What began as pre-match nerves developed into a crippling case of dartitis, a mental block that stops players from throwing properly.

His level plummeted to a 65 average and he explained that he felt he was letting his parents down, given the time and money they had invested into his darts career.

Van Veen told NU: “I was practicing in my bedroom and suddenly couldn’t let go of the dart. Meanwhile, it felt like I was wasting my parents’ money, because I kept coming home with zero euros.

“I was playing for my parents, not for myself. After misses I thought: there goes their money again. I thought: I’ll just stay an amateur.”

Luckily, his fortunes turned around when he started playing from home during the pandemic. All he needed to do was set up a webcam and a board without the additional pressure of travel costs and having to return his parents’ financial investment.

“It felt like a relief not having to think about my parents’ expenses,” added Van Veen, who has a degree in aviation but was stopped from becoming a pilot because he is colour blind.

“Night after night I was throwing past midnight, at the board mounted on the wall of their bedroom. I think I just wasn’t a great talent mentally. I needed those matches at home to realise I could do it.

“Intelligence can get in your way too. In darts it’s best not to think and just throw. A lot of other players are better at that.”