Tears after surprise victory: Gian van Veen crowns himself the youngest European darts champion

Tears after surprise victory Gian van Veen crowns himself the youngest European Darts Champion 27.10.2025, 07:19

Surprise winner at the European Darts Championship: Gian van Veen takes the title in a thrilling final against world number one Luke Humphries. The 23-year-old Dutchman makes history and sheds tears afterward.

At just 23 years old, Gian van Veen has won his first major final and is the youngest European darts champion in history. In the final in Dortmund on Sunday, the up-and-coming Dutchman defeated former world champion and world number one Luke Humphries of England 11-10 after a strong performance. "It's crazy, I cried. What an evening," said van Veen.

Van Veen succeeds fellow countryman Michael Van Gerwen, who first lifted the European Championship trophy in 2014 at the age of 25, setting a record. Humphries missed the tenth major victory of his career at the Westfalenhalle and is still waiting for his first European Championship title. The 30-year-old has won every major except the European Championship and the UK Open.

Van Veen, who had eliminated his highly decorated compatriot Van Gerwen in the semifinals (11-9), needed some time to get going in his first major final. He quickly turned a 1-4 deficit into a 4-4 tie after the break, and the duel was back on the table. Van Veen initially missed two match darts with a 10-9 lead, but Humphries (30) capitalized on the errors, equalized, and had another match dart of his own. The favorite missed, and van Veen struck.

Pietreczko makes a serious false start

On Sunday afternoon, Ricardo Pietreczko was the last German participant eliminated from his home match at the Westfalenhalle. In the quarterfinals, the Berliner lost to Dutchman Danny Noppert (5:10). Last year, Pietreczko had already been eliminated by Noppert in the round of eight. Pietreczko suffered two early breaks and quickly fell behind 1:5. But the German improved, winning once on his opponent's serve and keeping the match open until 5:7. The break at 5:9 was decisive. Noppert then lost to Humphries (8:11).

Max Hopp achieved the best European Championship result for a German player in 2018, reaching the semifinals. A total of 600,000 pounds in prize money was distributed in Dortmund.