If you go back to 2023, Jian van Veen entered the World Junior Final just a month before the World Championships as the favorite. In that final, he lost to a certain Luke Littler.
Of course, no one could have predicted the meteoric rise of the 17-year-old, but it has also been a year of steady progress for the 22-year-old van Veen, reaching the quarter-finals of a Grand. Slam, World Grand Prix last 32 and UK Open last 16.
Then, in Minehead, he finally won that elusive world junior title when he beat fellow Dutchman Jürgen van der Velde 6-5 in a dramatic showdown.
With that huge title and confidence, Van Wynn can look back on the past year very positively, even if his fellow young star has gotten a lot of attention.
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Van Veen scored an impressive 140 against Gary Anderson in the Grand Slam of Darts.
“Yeah, I think both of our careers have gone up since then. I think his (Littler’s) career has certainly gone up a lot more than mine. But I think that’s okay.” said Van Wynn.
“I’m just taking my time. I just want to do my career. Of course he’s doing phenomenal at winning titles, but that’s not what I compare myself to.
“I don’t think any of us can really compare to that. I was the favorite going into the finals last year, but we both had pretty good years.
“Last year I reached the semi-finals of the European Championship and maybe I put extra pressure on myself in the World Championship.
“I want to show everyone what I can do. But now it’s not the first time.”
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Van Veen turns ‘big fish’ against Ross Smith at World Grand Prix of Darts
It is not lost on Van Veeny how special the World Cup is, admitting he had “goosebumps” arriving on his debut last year.
Despite losing 3-2 in the first round to Man Lok Leung, who now has the biggest stage experience, Van Win goes to Ally Pally ready to show just how talented he is.
“I hope to do well in the World Cup. Ali Palli is a special place.
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Van Veen completed a superb four bull against Rob Cross at the Winter Garden
“Climbing in itself was fantastic. Of course, my World Championships didn’t go as planned, but I’m just looking forward to coming back this year and hopefully it will be better than last year.
“But this is the second time, so I know what to expect from the stage, the practice area, the crowd and the hotel, everything around it.
“So I think I’ll be a lot more relaxed this year and it should be a very good tournament. People say it’s just the first match with the world.
“I want to win my first game. That’s the main goal this year, and then we’ll see how it goes, game by game. I think if I get to the last 16, or maybe even the quarter-finals, I’ll be very happy.” with that.”
When will the World Darts Championship be held?
The tournament kicks off at Alexandra Palace on Sunday 15 December with three first and one second round matches on the opening night.
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There will be live darts on each of the next eight days, including seven afternoons, with the usual three-day break from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, before returning for round three and a double session on December 27.
Rounds three and four will run until December 30 before taking a break on New Year’s Eve, with the quarter-finals played over two sessions on New Year’s Day before the semi-finals on January 2 and the final on Friday January 3.
You can find the full schedule for this year’s tournament here here.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship Watch every match exclusively live from December 15 to January 3 on Sky Sports’ special Darts channel. Stream darts and better sports with NOW!.
