Gian van Veen has told DartAsylum he feels his first PDC title win “is coming” – and that he hopes he has played his last ever Development Tour event after breaking into the world’s top 32.
In a wide-ranging interview, the rising star also talked about the latest generation of young Dutch players and how he grew up idolising Gary Anderson.
“I’m really enjoying my darts at the moment,” said the 22-year-old. “It’s going well this year. I had a great year last year, so I was always intrigued to see how this year would go after a great year, but I’m really enjoying it so far and I’m happy with where I am.
“My goal for this year is to pick up a title – and I feel it’s coming. I feel a big run is coming – maybe a final and hopefully, eventually, a title."
Having burst onto the scene by reaching a Players Championship final in 2022 – before he had a tour card – van Veen has continued to build.
After reaching the European Championship semi-final toward the end of last year, he led Damon Heat 7-3 in the sixth round of the UK Open in March before losing 10-8. In 2024, he has also reached two Euro Tour quarter-finals, two Players Championship semi-finals and won two Development Tour events as well as reaching two more finals.
With the top 32 in the world prevented from competing on the Development Tour, he is eager to move on from a tour he acknowledges has served him well.
“It’s a very different expectation – the difference between that and the ProTour is massive,” he said.
“Walking into the room at the Development Tour, you’ve got the new players who are looking up to you, thinking ‘wow, he’s here now and I want to beat him!’ You’re walking into the room expecting to at least make the final or win titles.
“That’s what I’m expecting of myself on the Development Tour but I really enjoy it, especially this year. But hopefully I’ve played my last ever Development Tour already! That would be amazing.”
Van Veen is only eight months into his career as a full-time darts player. Having graduated last August, he took a part-time job in the aviation industry in the Netherlands, before focusing exclusively on his darts in January.
Not having to worry about his degree or a job away from the oche is allowing him to prioritise his climb up the rankings.
“After a busy weekend or week of darts, I come home and I don’t have to worry about work or go to work anymore, so it’s been really nice,” he said.
Unlike many young Dutchmen, van Veen’s darting idol when he was growing up wasn’t one of his own country’s superstars but a Scot who has resided in England for years.
“My idol when I was younger was Gary Anderson,” he said. “When I started I was 10 years old, it was around 2011, 2012, when he made the World Championship final, when he won the Premier League, and it was so easy to look at – still is. He’s playing phenomenal nowadays. But he was always my idol I looked up to.
"A good friend of mine was always a fan of Adie Lewis and I was a fan of Gary Anderson and they played lots of great matches back then, so it was always a good battle.”
With Michael van Gerwen (3rd), Danny Noppert (16th), Dirk van Duijvenbode (20th) and Raymond van Barneveld (28th) and van Veen all in the top 32, the young star also praised the next generation of young Dutch darters he feels are going to break through.
“We’ve got loads of good players: Wessel Nijman, Jurjen van der Velde, Owen Roelofs, who all played in the JDC tournaments and are now flying the flag on the ProTour and are doing fantastic,” he said. “You’ve got Danny Jansen without a tour card but No 1 on the Challenge Tour and so many great players from my age, as well as younger players who are coming up.”
Written by Steve Cotton
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