Van der Velde reveals emotional Ally Pally tears as childhood ‘biggest dream’ finally comes true

JURJEN VAN DER VELDE revealed he broke down in tears after finally achieving his “biggest dream” of playing at Ally Pally.

The Dutchman was visibly emotional before throwing a single dart on his World Championship debut against Danny Noppert.

Van der Velde, 23, covered his face with a towel as the enormity of the occasion got the better of him.

The world No104 lost 3-1 to ‘The Freeze’ but said he was simply proud to have fulfilled a childhood ambition.

He told Oche180: “That is the person I am. When I started playing darts, I was 12-years-old.

“My first dream was to qualify myself for the Worlds because everyone is watching you on TV.

“That is the biggest dream you can ever have when you start playing darts.

“I realised myself I am now going to play on that big stage in that moment.

“So, there were some little tears from me.

“When I started playing darts, it was only a dream, but I realised myself I am there. That is fantastic.”

Van der Velde has previously opened up about the severe anxiety he has suffered before major tournament matches.

The Zevenhuizen thrower revealed he has felt sick and experienced panic attack symptoms, including a racing heart, before walking onto the stage.

Van der Velde experienced similar feelings at last year’s Grand Slam of Darts, where he reached the second round before losing 10-3 to Luke Humphries.

But Van der Velde insists he has now learned how to handle the pressure of playing under the bright lights.

He added: “I think it was before the last game when I needed to play Damon [Heta]. Everything was overwhelming me.

“I knew once I won that match, I was going through out of the group stage.

“It’s all experience for me and sometimes that happens.

“But I am not very often on the big stages, so I think things like that happen.

“I learned a lot.”

Words: Aaron Nijjar

Image: Taylor Lanning