Gian van Veen broke promise to girlfriend after first PDC major win | Other | Sport
Gian van Veen is into his first World Darts Championship final where he’ll face the daunting Luke Littler. But just months before this matchup, the 23-year-old endured an injury-ridden, promise-breaking win at the European Championship.
Van Veen had long been hailed as a darting prodigy but suffered bouts of Dartitis just before he emerged onto the PDC’s Pro Tour. He has overcome this adversity and has been in fine fettle during this year’s Worlds, beating an inspired Gary Anderson to reach the final. He now faces a tough task in seizing the throne from The Nuke though, as reigning world champion Littler has dropped just three sets this tournament and is playing at his usual near-insurmountable standard. Nevertheless, Van Veen is tipped to give Littler a good battle and he has experienced major success before at the European Championship. This victory in October last year saw Van Veen break a promise he made to his partner and suffer a horrific injury on stage.
Months before his world final run, Van Veen stitched together win after win as he made his way to a European Championship final in Dortmund, Germany.
It was here that the Dutchman bested Luke Humphries in a dramatic deciding leg to lift his first major title by the tightest of 11-10 scorelines. But his journey to the final wasn’t without its challenges and in his semi-final match, he was struck with an injury.
Van Veen faced fellow Dutchman Michael van Gerwen in the final four and beat him 11-9, but during the game, the way he grips his darts cut his thumb open and it began to bleed.
“I’m a bit bleeding!” Van Veen admitted after the win. “Today I’ve got a very heavy grip on my dart, which I love, but today it really hit me at the wrong point.
“I hold my dart here as well, so that’s why I was a bit struggling on stage. This is what I used on stage and you can see all the blood spatters, and it’s not ideal but I got the job done and that’s what matters.
“During the game I already thought it was a problem and I’ve already thought I would have lost because of that, but I didn’t. It was a mental battle as well, because the blood got a bit slippery as well.
“My dart was slipping all over the place. But I got the job done and I’m going to focus now for the final. I’m going to sort this out, hopefully it stops bleeding and then I’ll be ready.”
While he still seemed in a bit of pain during the final, the injury did not affect him too much as he got over the line. However, as he celebrated the win, he did break a lighthearted promise he made to his girlfriend.
“I said it to my girlfriend when I walked on stage, whenever I win my first TV title I wouldn’t cry – and here I am crying,” Van Veen told ITV. “I will never forget this moment or even this crowd. It is phenomenal to win my first major in Germany. It is definitely a night to never forget.”
Now, he is aiming to go one better and land the biggest title of them all on the Ally Pally stage. The prize for the winner of this year’s renewal will be a whopping £1million.
