Gian van Veen wins his first major title – and is not deterred by problems with his throwing hand. The Dutchman replaces Michael van Gerwen as the youngest winner of the European Championship.
Darts history in Dortmund! Gian van Veen has won the European Darts Championship for the first time, making him the youngest winner in the tournament’s history. The 23-year-old Dutchman succeeded his compatriot Michael van Gerwen, who had won the title in 2014 at the age of 25.
In a highly exciting final, van Veen surprisingly defeated world number one Luke Humphries 11-10. For “The Giant,” this was his first-ever final appearance in a PDC major tournament.
Gian van Veen has won his first major title
“Crazy,” van Veen cheered in the subsequent winner’s interview on stage. “I told my girlfriend I wouldn’t cry if I won my first major title – now it’s happened and I cried.”
In his first major final, the Dutchman needed some time to get going. After the break, he quickly turned a 1-4 deficit into a 4-4 tie, and the duel was open again. Van Veen initially missed two match darts when leading 10-9, Humphries capitalized on the mistakes, equalized, and had a match dart of his own. The favorite missed, and van Veen struck.
Darts: Van Veen bleeds and remains undetected
Van Veen had already caused a stir in the semifinal when he defeated his highly decorated compatriot van Gerwen 11-9. After the match, he revealed in an interview that he had problems with his throwing hand during the game: “I was bleeding a bit.”
The sharp and roughened tips of his darts became an obstacle: “That’s why I had to fight a bit on stage. It’s not ideal. But I managed the task,” explained van Veen.
Humphries has to wait longer
Humphries missed out on his tenth major career win at the Westfalenhalle and continues to wait for his first European Championship title. The 30-year-old has won all majors except for the European Championship and the UK Open.
“Cool Hand Luke” had previously defeated Danny Noppert 11-8 in the semifinal, after almost squandering a 5-0 lead. Following a brief slump and trailing 6-7, the world number one turned the match around.