Noa Lynn van Leuven vows not to be driven out of darts with dream Ally Pally return on mind
The 28-year-old is determined to enjoy the game again and wants another dream shot at the World Championships
Determined Noa-Lynn van Leuven insists she won’t be driven out of darts as she targets a dream return to the Ally Pally.
The 28-year-old was back on the major stage at Blackpool for the Betfred Women’s World Matchplay and won her opening game before losing in the semi-finals to Fallon Sherrock.
Van Leuven has been happy to go under the radar and out of the spotlight this time around following last year’s intense attention.
As the first transgender player to compete in a televised PDC tournament against men at the Grand Slam before heading to the World Championships, van Leuven had felt searing scrutiny.
Despite support from major men’s heroes such as World No.1 Luke Humphries and compatriot Michael van Gerwen, van Leuven took a step back from the sport at the beginning of this year for mental health reasons.
But she was back in Blackpool having won consecutive April events in Rosmalen and won’t be deterred as she explained: “No, I love this game too much and why would I let anyone else ruin my passion for darts? I just want to play darts.
“It feels amazing to be back. It’s such an iconic place to play at. Last year, I just lacked a bit of confidence, I guess. I’ve been gaining a lot of stage experience now, so hopefully I can bring my A game to the stage this time.
“It was quiet for the past few weeks and that’s actually quite nice. I’ve done a bit less media beforehand. I guess this year is just about trying to enjoy life and getting my mind right again, so I don’t have that big of goals in darts.
“I’m feeling better, yeah. Before the Grand Slam, it was really good to read those kind of messages in the newspapers. If you have a lot of people going up against you, it’s not a great feeling. But if you get the likes of them [Humphries/Van Gerwen], it sure helps.
“I’m just here to play my game. I want to win a few games. If I win three games, that would be great.
"I’ve been taking some time to just relax, get my mind right, just try to enjoy life and find the nice things in life. So I’ve taken a bit of time away from darts, but I have practised in between and I think my game is on.
“It’s okay. I’m trying to find that balance and I’m trying to find and enjoy the nice things in life. I want to enjoy darts again.”
Van Leuven has targeted the Ally Pally again and continued: “I would love to be back at Worlds. I was there the day before [playing Kevin Doets] and, when I walked into the venue, I was like: Oh, is this it?
"On TV it looked so much bigger, but if you were in a room, how many people does it fit? Like 4,000? That’s quite a lot.
“But it’s amazing to play on that stage and I felt so comfortable Kevin on that stage. So yeah, it’s just a good experience.”