Luke Littler may accidentally shoot himself in the foot as ‘the next MVG’ speaks out | Other | Sport

Luke Littler already has his hands full competing with darts rivals Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen – the last thing he needs is new talent joining the party.

‘The Nuke’ exploded onto the scene at last year’s World Darts Championship, where he lost to Humphries in the final at just 16 years old. Since then he has surged up the world rankings, proving that his fairytale Ally Pally run was by no means a one-off.

Naturally, as a 17-year-old prodigy taking the fight to the best the sport has to offer, Littler’s rise has garnered plenty of attention. And he has handled it well, clinching triumphs at Premier League Darts and the World Series Finals to expand his trophy cabinet.

Although not quite as extreme, Gian van Veen’s darting breakthrough was met with similar excitement from fans. The 22-year-old racked up a series of impressive tournament results last year and was viewed by many as the heir to his countryman, Michael van Gerwen.

Van Veen’s immense potential has taken a back seat in the public eye since Littler shot to fame, but the Dutchman is doing his best to force his way back into the conversation at the Grand Slam of Darts.

He averaged a staggering 108.89 across his three group-stage games – a tournament high – and produced another ton-plus figure to demolish Ryan Joyce in the last 16 and set up a quarter-final clash with Gary Anderson.

Van Veen claims that the attention being diverted away from him and towards Littler has been an immense help. And ‘The Nuke’ could soak up even more of the hype with another victory at the Grand Slam this weekend – starting with his quarter-final against Jermaine Wattimena tonight (Saturday).

While Littler will pay no mind to his rivals if he goes all the way in Wolverhampton, he may partly be shooting himself in the foot by creating an ideal environment for Van Veen – and indeed the rest of his rivals – to hone their craft in peace.

“Last year, making the European Championship semi-final gave me a lot of pressure,” Van Veen explained. “What Luke Littler has done means all eyes are on him, and he’s performing really well under that pressure. It’s given me a lot less pressure this year.

“My performances on TV have been okay. This tournament, even though I’m playing well, they’re still talking about him. Of course, he’s still only 17 years old and playing phenomenally. I think the less pressure on me has given my game a massive boost.”

Littler and Van Veen will meet in the Grand Slam semi-finals tomorrow (Sunday) if they both win their respective quarters in the West Midlands.