Gian van Veen is in the Darts World Championship final for the first time in his career. After the spectacular victory against Gary Anderson, the press celebrates the 23-year-old.
He did it! Gian van Veen is the third Dutchman to reach the Darts World Championship final. When the 23-year-old converted his first match dart on double-16 at 11:50 PM on Friday evening, he didn’t know what to do with his emotions.
Van Veen defeated his great idol Gary Anderson 6:3 in sets, leaving the Scot with nothing but to applaud his opponent. Afterwards, van Veen confessed: “I could cry.”
Van Veen experiences a “Darts Fairy Tale”
The Dutch press is fascinated by the boy from the small village of Poederoijen in the Gelderland province: “The phenomenal Gian van Veen.”
It was added: “Playing against his idol for a spot in the World Championship final can certainly be described as a darts fairy tale for Van Veen. But ultimate darts fairy tales ultimately end in only one way, namely with the world championship title in hand.”
Darts World Championship: Van Veen and Anderson with a Great Spectacle
Both stars engaged in an open exchange on Friday evening, offering the spectators a great spectacle. They each played at just under 103 points in average, threw a total of 25 180-scores, and both managed to hit the Big Fish (170-finish) in the fifth set.
The match was described as a “great duel” and a “particularly high-class semi-final.”
Darts World Championship: Whistles against van Veen
Since Anderson is one of the absolute crowd favorites, the spectators in the legendary Alexandra Palace primarily cheered him on, and there were occasional whistles during important throws by van Veen. But he stayed cool.
“The young Dutchman not only defeated the Scot but also withstood the hostile crowd.”
Littler and van Veen usher in a generational change
In the final, van Veen faces none other than Luke Littler, who has swept so far through the tournament, dropping only four sets. Remarkably: Both contenders only dueled about two years ago, on November 26, 2023, in the Junior World Championship final.
The Dutchman had the better end then, and after his triumph on Friday evening, he pointed out that he had been the favorite with bookmakers back then, but that this would be unimaginable today. “It sounds really crazy to be considered the favorite against Luke Littler, but that was the case back then,” van Veen recalled with a smile on his lips.
The generational change currently taking place in darts is clearly evident in the upcoming final. After all, on Saturday evening, a 23-year-old will duel with an 18-year-old prodigy who already won his first World Championship title last year and is now in the World Championship final for the third time in a row.
“Youth has his say.”