Gian van Veen, the current world number three, swapped his distinctive black-and-white match shirt for a light-colored, elegant suit last weekend to attend the wedding of one of his best friends. The Dutch star shared a photo on Instagram showing himself immaculately dressed at the reception, writing: "Very special day yesterday for one of my best friends. I am very grateful to be invited to his wedding and to share this moment with team @machdartsmanagement."
The groom was identified as Ronnie Rickner, a coach and partner at Mach Darts Management, who is also active in the darts world and is competing this week on the PDC Challenge Tour, the circuit for players without a PDC Tour Card.
Van Veen's attendance comes after an eventful year that saw him break through to the world elite, reaching the World Championship final in London where he ultimately lost to Luke Littler, who has since become a two-time world champion. His strong results also earned him a place in the Premier League Darts, where he faced the sport's biggest names for months, including compatriot Michael van Gerwen. However, both Van Veen and Van Gerwen failed to qualify for the play-offs later this month.
Earlier this year, Van Veen faced serious health problems due to kidney stones that required surgery because the stones were too large to pass naturally. The procedure visibly affected his form, but in recent weeks he has been posting high averages again and showing the level that sparked his breakthrough. His withdrawal from this week's PDC floor events appears to be a deliberate choice to make time for this important private moment.
