‘Crying my eyes out' – Darts star lifts lid on personal woes and moment opponent accused him of cheating
DARTS STAR OPENS UP 'Crying my eyes out' – Darts star lifts lid on personal woes and moment opponent accused him of cheating
DARTS star Gian van Veen cried his eyes out after being accused of cheating by an opponent.
The Dutchman suffers from dartitis - a condition which stops players from releasing the dart due to a psychological problem.
Advertisement
2
Gian van Veen cried his eyes out after being accused of cheating by an opponent
Credit: Getty
Van Veen said on Huw Ware's Tops and Tales podcast: 'I still remember one game on the Challenge Tour when I first got dartitis and my opponent was angry at me because he thought I was doing it on purpose.
'I was in tears, crying my eyes out in the middle of Barnsley Metrodome because I was struggling so badly.
"And for my opponent to tell me I was cheating or something — it was heartbreaking.'
The name is a portmanteau and was coined by Darts World editor Tony Wood in 1981.
Advertisement
This condition sees darts players of all levels struggle psychologically - and it is suggested it comes from a fear of missing.
At the highest level, dartitis has affected many of the sport's best players, including five-time world champion Eric Bristow, who said he suffered with the condition for a decade.
Nathan Aspinall also appeared to struggle with the condition when he faced Luke Littler in the World Darts Championship on New Year's Day.
Van Veen is still overcoming his issues now - but believes dartitis has actually made him a better player.
Advertisement
He said: 'The weird thing is, I played better through it. I started averaging like 85 with dartitis.
"But when I got rid of it, I averaged 92, 93, because in my head, I was like, 'You're not going to release the dart until you're 100 per cent sure you're going to hit the target.'
Rob Cross admits darts concerns after former world champ's major slump in form
"So it took a while, but I started playing better, winning more games, and that massively grew my confidence.
"And that's how I eventually got rid of it.'
Advertisement
Former Youth World Champion Van Veen is now ranked 18th in the world and has titles in his sights.
He said: 'I'm not going to sit here and say, 'I'm going to win five world titles.' I'll be very happy with my career if I win one.
"I think so far, my career's already been very successful. But yeah, I'd love to top it off — whether it's in 20, 25, 30 years — with a world title.
"Doesn't matter if it's next year or in 10 or 15 years. Just win one, and I'll be very satisfied.'
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Chelsea rocked by disappearance of £30,000 worth of equipment from Blues' Cobham training ground as police called in
CHELSEA have been rocked by the disappearance of £30,000 of camera equipment from their training ground. The Blues called Surrey Police after the gear was reported missing from their Cobham HQ. 3 Police were called to Chelsea's training ground this week Credit: GETTY 3 The Blues rang the old bill after over £30,000 worth of camera equipment went missing Credit: GETTY Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw Play via Dream Team's app or website today! It remains unclear whether the hi-tech video equipment has just been mislaid and will come to light once all staff have returned from holiday. But the incident is suspicious enough for the club to have involved the police. Top football clubs like the world champion Blues make extensive use of video footage from training and matches to help players' physical, technical, tactical and mental performance. Chelsea declined to comment about the timing and circumstances of the discovery that the equipment was not where it should be. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS 'Sell him at half time' Arsenal fans demand struggling star be AXED after shocking display But if a crime has been committed, it won't be the first in the leafy Surrey suburbs to affect the club. A number of Chelsea players have been the victims of break-ins at their mansions near the club's training base. Raheem Sterling's home was targeted in December 2022 while he was with England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with a group of burglars stealing £300,000 of designer watches. Sterling flew home from the tournament to comfort his family before returning to the Middle East. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN 3 Albanian Emiliano Krosi was later jailed for more than 11 years for his part in the raid and 32 other burglaries across the South East. Sterling was the fourth Chelsea player to have his home burgled in a relatively short space of time. Drake hints Cole Palmer is inspiration behind his new album name as he shares brilliant video of Chelsea star Current club captain Reece James slammed the 'cowardly thieves' who broke into his house in December 2021 while he was playing for the Blues in the Champions League. The burglars got away with a safe that contained James' medal from Chelsea's Champions League win of that year, as well as the Euro 2020 runners-up medal he earned with England. At least two other unnamed Chelsea players were understood to have suffered similar experiences around the same time
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Emma Raducanu to bank record sum if she regains US Open title as ‘largest purse in tennis history' confirmed
Scroll down to see how the prize money has changed since last year CANU DO IT Emma Raducanu to bank record sum if she regains US Open title as 'largest purse in tennis history' confirmed EMMA RADUCANU would bank a record $5million (£3.7m) if she regained the US Open women's crown next month. Four years on from that fairytale success in New York, the 22-year-old heads to Flushing Meadows with a new coach, Rafa Nadal's former guru Francisco Roig. Advertisement 2 Emma Raducanu could win a major windfall at the US Open Credit: Getty 2 The prize fund has doubled since Raducanu won the title in 2021 Credit: Getty Raducanu's title success in 2021 earned her $2.4m (£1.8m) so the top fee has doubled since then. On Wednesday, US Open chiefs announced a bumper new prize fund for the men's and women's singles champions to combat ongoing player complaints about pay. The tournament's overall pot has been described as the 'largest purse in tennis history'. It has gone up in 12 months from $75m (£56m) to $90m (£67m) in total player compensation. Advertisement The 2024 champions, Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, received $3.6m (£2.7m) for their triumphs. First-round main-draw losers will be compensated with $110,000 (£82,000) in cash. The winning teams from the men's and women's doubles events – and from the new Mixed Doubles Championship – will split $1m (£750,000) in prize money. Meanwhile, Raducanu has hired her eighth coach of her career to boost her chances in the US. Advertisement SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN She has appointed former Rafael Nadal mentor Roig, 57, to help her on the court. He is vastly experienced having worked with Nadal throughout his career. Pet dog runs on court to celebrate as Emma Raducanu is beaten by Anna Kalinskaya in Washington He was No2 coach for the Spaniard for all 22 Grand Slam wins, working alongside his uncle Toni. Advertisement Raducanu's team began discussions with Roig over him coming on board during Wimbledon, according to the Mail.
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Patients ‘isolated' and Covid-like alerts issued as surge of ‘disabling' virus in China sparks global outbreak fears
The virus can be 'extremely uncomfortable and disabling', with babies and older adults most at risk DEJA FLU? Patients 'isolated' and Covid-like alerts issued as surge of 'disabling' virus in China sparks global outbreak fears CHINESE officials have imposed Covid-like measures in parts of the country in an effort to curb surging cases of a "disabling" virus. More than 7,000 people have fallen ill with the mosquito-borne chickungunya virus, the largest outbreak of its kind ever to be documented in China, according to experts. Advertisement 6 An outbreak of chikungunya in China has sparked alarm, with authorities rushing to curb the virus Credit: Getty 6 Insecticide is being sprayed across cities like Foshan, where most cases have been reported Credit: Getty 6 Chikungunya is spread by infected mosquitoes Credit: Getty The virus's rapid spread is sparking fears of a global outbreak, with cases expected to continue increasing in the next few weeks. Most cases have been reported in the city of Foshan, in the southern province of Guangdong, with the authorities tackling the rise in cases with methods employed during the Covid pandemic. Infected patients are being kept in hospital for a minimum of one week. Authorities briefly enforced a two-week home quarantine, which was dropped since the disease is spread by mosquitoes and can't be transmitted between people. Advertisement Meanwhile, people who do not empty bottles, flower pots or other receptacles with standing water - which can attract mozzies - have been slapped with fines of up to 10,000 yuan (around £1,043) and have their electricity cut off. No deaths from the virus have been reported but at least 12 other cities in Guangdong have reported infections. At least 3,000 cases were detected over the past week, bringing the total to over 10,000 in the country. It comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned last month that chickungunya could soon affect billions across the globe - as it tears through parts of the Indian Ocean and edges closer to Europe. Advertisement The health watchdog said it was seeing the same warning signs as in the last major outbreak two decades ago, when nearly half a million were infected worldwide. "We are seeing history repeating itself," said Dr Diana Rojas Alvarez, WHO's technical lead on the virus. Chikungunya is spread by infected mosquitoes and causes symptoms such as sudden high fever, severe joint and muscle pain, fatigue, rash, and headaches. Most people recover in a couple of weeks, but some people - especially older adults - may suffer from long-lasting arthritis-like joint pain. Advertisement Dr César López-Camacho, from the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford, said: "Although chikungunya rarely causes death, it can be extremely uncomfortable and disabling. "The most vulnerable include the elderly, newborns, and people with underlying health conditions." 6 Drones are being sent out to hunt down insect breeding grounds Credit: Getty 6 A worker sprays insecticide in Foshan, Guangdong Province of China Credit: Getty Advertisement 6 Patient with joint deformities of the hands 6 years after confirmed chikungunya virus Chinese health authorities say cases are dropping off slowly, but Dr López-Camacho warned it is likely that chickunguya infections will continue to be reported for the next few weeks. He described the situation as a "significant outbreak". "With over 7,000 confirmed cases reported in Guangdong Province, this is the largest chikungunya outbreak ever documented in China," he added. Advertisement "Until now, the country had only recorded a few imported cases, with no sustained local transmission. Chikungunya: Signs and symptoms Chikungunya is a disease caused by the chikungunya virus, which spreads to humans through infected mosquitoes. Major outbreaks and scattered cases have been reported across the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Now, with smaller flare-ups starting to appear in Europe, it's important to be aware of the symptoms. Not everyone infected with chikungunya will show symptoms, but for those who do, symptoms typically begin 4 to 8 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and include: Sudden onset of high fever Severe joint pain (often debilitating) Joint swelling, especially in the hands, wrists, ankles, and feet Muscle pain Headache Nausea Fatigue Rash Most patients recover fully from chikungunya infection, although occasional cases can involve serious complications affecting the eyes, heart, or nervous system. Some can also be left with deformities. Newborns infected either during delivery or by mosquito bites shortly after birth, and older adults with underlying health conditions are at higher risk of severe disease. In such cases, hospitalisation may be necessary due to the risk of organ damage and even death. 'What makes this event notable is that chikungunya has never been established in mainland China before. "This suggests that most of the population had no pre-existing immunity, making it easier for the virus to spread quickly." Outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases tend to happen "in populations that are 'naive' to the virus, meaning people have not been previously exposed and are not protected", said Dr López-Camacho. Advertisement Authorities in China have deployed a series of preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus, spraying clouds of disinfectant around city streets, residential areas, construction sites and even sending out drones to hunt down insect breeding grounds. Heavy rains and high temperatures have worsened the situation in China. Chikungunya causes regular outbreaks in Africa, Asia and the Americas, and has also been spotted in Europe. As of July, there have been about 240,000 cases of chikungunya, including 90 deaths in 16 countries, according to the European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control. Advertisement The countries that reported the highest number of infections were Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Peru. How concerning is this outbreak? Though tactics adopted by authorities in China hark back to lockdown measures five years ago, chikungunya "does not pose the same level of pandemic threat as a virus like COVID-19", according to Prof Tom Solomon, director of The Pandemic Institute in Liverpool. Dr López-Camacho added: 'It is extremely unlikely to cause a pandemic in the traditional sense, as chikungunya does not spread from person to person. "However, it can cause large regional outbreaks, especially when introduced to mosquito-rich, low-immunity settings, like what we are probably seeing in China." Advertisement The risk to the UK from this outbreak is "currently low" as Aedes mosquitoes, which tend to carry the virus, aren't widespread here. "But we do need to watch closely, as climate change and global travel are expanding the range of these mosquitoes, and with it, the viruses they carry," Dr López-Camacho warned. 'It is also important that genetic sequencing of the virus in this outbreak is carried out. "In past outbreaks, mutations have helped chikungunya adapt to new mosquito species. Advertisement "If the virus has changed, we need to ensure current vaccines still offer protection." Brits travelling to China amidst the outbreak should "be cautious", the disease expert said. He continued: "The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 2 travel alert, recommending travellers use insect repellent, wear long sleeves, and stay in screened or air-conditioned accommodation. "Travellers returning from affected areas who develop fever and joint pain should seek medical attention and mention their recent travel." Advertisement People travelling to high-risk areas where outbreaks of the virus often occur can get vaccinated against chikungunya at a travel clinic. But Prof Solomon noted: "There have been reports of serious side effects in people over the age of 65. "As such, the vaccine is currently recommended for travellers under 65 visiting high-risk areas."
