"Luke Humphries, world No 1 at the time, starts the final leg with a 140. Oh, you've blown it here, Van Veen replies when asked to describe his internal monologue during that moment in October. Luke Humphries is not going to crumble under this pressure. Maybe it was a negative thought. But it also released some pressure for me, in a way. Feeling a strange kind of relaxation, Van Veen stepped up and pinned a maximum."
"A couple of minutes later, with Humphries having missed a match dart of his own, Van Veen took out 100 to win the biggest prize of his career: a moment of high emotion for a sensitive young dartist who had finally managed to block out the noise and make good on his abundant talent. I still remember when I hit that double 16, I walked off the stage to my girlfriend, and I fell into her arms, he recalls."
"He begins this year's world championship as one of the rising forces in the sport, the third favourite with some bookmakers. But as he learned during his degree in aviation engineering, the fastest route between two points is rarely a straight line. In his own case, the road to Alexandra Palace has been paved with doubt, derision and a crushing case of dartitis that almost forced him out of the game altogether."
Gian van Veen missed two match darts in the deciding leg of the European Championship final but responded by hitting a maximum and later taking out 100 to claim the title. The victory produced intense emotion as he celebrated with his girlfriend and said the moment justified his years of dedication. Van Veen's rise has been uneven, marked by doubt, derision and a severe case of dartitis that nearly ended his career. He learned mental toughness during setbacks, studied aviation engineering, and now arrives at the world championship regarded as a major contender.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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