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'It’s hard not to feel irritated' - Gian van Veen falls flat in front of home crowd at Dutch Darts Championship 2025

Originally posted on Dartsnews.com | Last updated May 25, 2025 1:45 PM ET

There was no joy for Gian van Veen at the 2025 Dutch Darts Championship, as the 23-year-old Dutchman suffered a surprise first-round exit at the hands of Boris Krcmar. Despite strong home support in Rosmalen, Van Veen was edged out 6-5 in a tense encounter.

The rising star received a rapturous reception at the Autotron venue, something he admitted was a new and emotional experience. “I was welcomed so warmly — it was a first for me,” Van Veen told Sportnieuws.nl. “Michael [van Gerwen] and Raymond [van Barneveld] are used to that kind of reception, but for me, it was overwhelming. I needed a moment to recover during those first two legs.”

The atmosphere reached fever pitch during Van Veen’s walk-on to ‘Losse Pols’, with the crowd’s cheers so loud that he couldn’t even hear his name being announced.

“There were so many people around me screaming that I just thought, ‘The music’s started — I guess I should walk.’ It was incredible, something you don’t experience often. Unfortunately, it only happened once this weekend. I needed to settle myself during the match, which made the loss even more frustrating.”

When asked whether he might add a dance to his walk-on in future, Van Veen chuckled.

“No, I’ll just stick to playing darts,” he said with a smile.

Van Veen had taken a 5-4 lead and looked to be in control, but Krcmar fought back to force a decider. In the final leg, the Croatian was loudly booed by the partisan Dutch crowd — an experience Van Veen is no stranger to himself when playing abroad.

“This time it was the other way around,” he reflected. “He was being booed, and I just thought, ‘Please miss that double two.’ But he hit it.”

The defeat clearly stung.

“I was just really frustrated with how I played today,” Van Veen admitted. “Especially in front of your home fans, you want to deliver a great performance. And when you don’t, it’s hard not to feel irritated.”