Only a year ago the name Gian van Veen wouldn’t have rung many bells. But by the end of 2023, it may be a household name. So who is the young star making his mark in the darts world?
(PDC, 2023)
Gian van Veen reached the final of the World Youth Championship last weekend, beating Wessel Nijman 6-5 in the final with an average of 103.2. He knocked out reigning champion Josh Rock in the quarter-final in a last leg decider.
Van Veen will face teen sensation Luke Littler in the final at Minehead in November.
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The man from the Netherlands won his tour card at Q-School in January and has made a big impact. He has made several quarter-finals on the Pro Tour already this year and has reached two quarter-finals on the European Tour.
He sits eighth in the averages list on the Pro Tour this year, ahead of former World Champions Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross, and reigning World Champion and World Number One Michael Smith. He even reached a PDC final before gaining a tour card, losing 8-4 to Gerwyn Price in a Player’s Championship event less than a year ago.
Though he is only 21, his performances on the Pro Tour could give the experience needed to make an impact on the big stages for the rest of the year.
Courtesy of topping the Development Tour order of merit, van Veen will compete in the Grand Slam of Darts and make his debut at the World Championship at Alexandra Palace at the end of the year. The Dutch star was likely to qualify for darts’ biggest tournament anyway due to his strong maiden year on tour.
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If Gian van Veen can produce the darts he has done away from the cameras in the big TV majors, he could cause and upset some of the big boys on the biggest stages.
It is still early days for the 21 year old, but the signs are he will be a force for a long time and is not to be underestimated by anybody.
Article by Ellen Gwynn
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