From Dartitis to Dark Horse: Gian van Veen's Unlikely Rise

A Dutch darts player is now a dark horse for the PDC World Championship. But Gian van Veen’s journey began with a major obstacle. He once did not know "how to grip the dart." Van Veen, 23, recently revealed the mental battle he faced during October's European Championship final. He missed two chances to win the title against world number one Luke Humphries. "Oh, you’ve blown it here," Van Veen recalled thinking. "Luke Humphries is not going to crumble under this pressure." He says that negative thought strangely helped him. "It also released some pressure for me, in a way." Van Veen's early struggle is known in darts as "dartitis." It is a sudden loss of coordination, like the "yips" in golf. Players can forget their natural throwing action. He has overcome it to become one of the sport's fastest-rising stars. His rapid progress makes him a dangerous outsider at the upcoming world championship.