A player who suffered a bout of dartitis at a major tournament is on course for a fairytale appearance at the PDC World Championship.
Berry van Peer is known to many fans for his chronic struggles with the psychological condition which sees players struggle to let go of the dart. Van Peer’s most high-profile bout occurred at the 2017 Grand Slam against Gary Anderson. Then just 21, Van Peer was visibly distressed and close to tears as he struggled to throw.
Brave Van Peer not only got through the match but also advanced to the knockout stage of the tournament thanks to group wins over Simon Whitlock and Cameron Menzies. At the time he vowed he would never let dartitis derail his career.
READ MORE: Berry van Peer wins Dutch Darts Open after emotional struggle with dartitis
“I never thought of giving up,” he said. “Even if you don’t have dartitis and you’re just playing bad, why should you give up on this? I made my dreams come true.”
And true to his word, Van Peer is very much on the up. Currently without a full-time PDC Tour card, Van Peer has instead been competing in WDF events and on the PDC Challenge Tour this year. He has also appeared at PDC European Tour events, including the recent Dutch Darts Championship, where he reached the third round.
The first and second-place finishes on the Challenge Tour receive full Tour Cards for 2024 and 2025, as well as a place at the Alexandra Palace this Christmas. The number one ranked player also earns a spot at the Grand Slam, a tournament that Van Peer knows all about.
Now past the halfway point of the Challenge Tour season, Van Peer has built up a huge lead and last weekend he won three of the five events played.
Van Peer has already banked £11,850, more than twice that of the next players in the rankings, Chris Landman and Christian Kist.
Earlier this year he won the WDF Dutch Darts Open title. Speaking after that tournament, he said: “This means everything to me. If you can win that you feel like the king. It is so incredibly difficult to win this tournament. This is definitely my biggest title ever. It will be very difficult to top this.”
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