Latest news with #dartitis
The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘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. 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. 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. 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.' 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.' 2
The Sun
29-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Nathan Aspinall battled horrific abuse, dartitis and rejection in a different sport to reach Premier League darts finale
NATHAN ASPINALL returns to the Premier League Darts finale today for the first time since 2021. It is a huge accomplishment for The Asp given the huge backlash his selection for the tournament received in January. 2 2 Aspinall won two nights to qualify in third place behind Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. He takes on the latter in the semi-final and regardless of the result, it has been a brilliant journey for the 33-year-old. Aspinall has returned to form since struggling with dartitis over the last couple of years. The issue first plagued him in the 2023 Premier League Darts as he threw away a 4-0 lead to lose to Peter Wright. His struggles even reduced him to tears and he feared he may never return to his best. Aspinall spoke openly about his emotional reaction to one loss, and revealed he has since spoken to a sports psychologist to help him adjust to the problem. He said: "All of a sudden out of nowhere I couldn't throw my effing dart. I just couldn't let it go. It ended up getting worse and worse and worse to the point where I was in tears. "Because I knew what it was. The dreaded D-word that no darts player ever wants to hear or get. Something called dartitis. "It's horrific, no one ever wants to get it. Not many people come back from it. "It's basically the fear of missing. There's somewhere deep in the back of your head saying 'you're going to miss this' so you stop. "I lost the game 6-5, I went upstairs after the game and I was in the toilet and I was absolutely smashing ten lumps of s*** out of the hand dryer. I lost my head." Aspinall won the European Darts Trophy in March but has failed to progress past the quarter-final stage at every other tournament this year. Success in the Premier League would be his first major honour since the 2023 World Matchplay. It would also more than justify Aspinall's selection, which attracted criticism and ruined his life for a month, by the star's own admission. He said of the grief: "I'm not going to lie, it was s**. It was hard. It was horrific. "I came off social media because of the abuse I was getting. "I'm not exaggerating here but it ruined my life for a month. Not just my life, my family's lives, too. It was horrific. "But I'm a professional sportsman, you have to deal with it. And I put things in place to deal with that. "Me and Gezzy (Gerwyn Price) received both the same treatment and have used it to our advantage. I've enjoyed this Premier League campaign more than anyone." Aspinall has experienced a wild ride to the top ranks of darts, having turned to the sport after missing out on a professional career as a footballer. He said: "I got scouted to play at the Manchester United goalkeeping Academy, it was a feeder club for Manchester United and other clubs." Aspinall's shot-stopping ability also caught the eye of Scottish giants Rangers, although he snubbed their advances as his family didn't fancy the move up north. He continued: "I got offered contracts for Rangers when I was nine, I played for Stockport County and had trials with them. "Football was the way I wanted to go. Every kid wants to be a footballer. "It didn't work out for me but I played at a semi-pro level and I'm now a professional darts player. "If I was a little bit taller I could have made it. I got released because I was too small as a goalkeeper. I wasn't tall enough. "I met Edwin van der Sar a couple of weeks ago and now I realise why I didn't make it, because he's about 19ft."
