Gian van Veen, the reigning European Champion and one of just three current Premier title holders in the PDC, is looking to break new ground at the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.
Van Veen won his maiden Premier PDC title in October’s European Championship, defeating 2023/24 World Champion Luke Humphries in a thrilling last-leg decider.
The 23-year-old subsequently shot into the world’s top ten for the first time in his career, and returns to the capital for just his third Paddy Power World Championship appearance.
“It’s still a bit surreal,” reflected Van Veen, discussing his career-changing triumph in Dortmund.
“The first time John McDonald announced me on stage as European Champion, it was a bit of a goosebumps moment. Hopefully it will sink in soon!”
The manner of that victory, on top of catapulting the Dutchman up the world rankings, has elevated his self-belief to perform on the sport’s biggest stages.
“Now, I've shown I can do it on the big stage and in those high-pressure moments,” confessed Van Veen.
“Last year, I played great on the floor and on the European Tour, but I lost some high-quality games in Premier events.
“I think I've really converted that form onto the bigger stage in front of the TV cameras now.”
Coupled with his European Championship exploits, Van Veen defeated Beau Greaves 6-3 in November’s Winmau World Youth Championship final, becoming only the second player to secure back-to-back World Youth titles.
The 23-year-old is now aiming to deliver on the biggest stage of all – and despite losing both of his previous World Championship encounters, he’s unconcerned by his record in the capital.
“I was one of the first players to break into the top 16 without winning a game at Ally Pally,” stated Van Veen, the current world number ten.
“Imagine if it goes well there, I can gain even more places. I'm really looking forward to Ally Pally.
“This is always the biggest tournament of the year, but especially this year with the increased prize money.
“Hopefully I’ll do better than the past two years and compete after Christmas and maybe after New Year as well!”