Raymond van Barneveld can prepare for his 34th appearance at the World Darts Championship after securing his place on Thursday at the end of a difficult qualifying campaign. The five-time world champion, 59, from The Hague, has now achieved a major goal — and Vincent van der Voort, who had little faith in a successful outcome a few months ago, saw his former colleague rediscover his form at just the right time.
Van Barneveld opened the season's final Players Championship event with a convincing 6-2 win over Jimmy van Schie. With his direct rivals all knocked out in the first round, that result was enough to confirm his place at the World Championship in Alexandra Palace, bringing an end to a tense period in which he had spent months fighting to hold on to his place in the world championship rankings.
Van der Voort admitted he had doubted the outcome. "A few months ago, I said: this will be very difficult; he won't make it. But in the last few weeks, he came really close. That's when I started to believe it could happen. He managed to turn things around very well at the end. That's a great achievement," he told Sportnieuws.nl. "It must be a huge relief. I speak to him regularly, and he was really focused on qualifying for the World Championship. This is a fantastic boost for him. This is what it's all about for him."
The former professional believes the manner of qualification added considerable pressure, given Van Barneveld's record and standing in the sport. "He has won so much in his career. This should really be a formality for him. A player of his stature should be at the World Championship. Having to qualify this way this year was frustrating for him."
With qualification secured, Van Barneveld can now focus fully on the World Darts Championship, which begins on Friday 11 December. Van der Voort finds his compatriot's chances difficult to assess, partly because of his results at major televised events in recent years. "He hasn't achieved much at the World Championship or other televised tournaments in recent years. His last major result at a televised event was the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts. It's difficult to assess," he said. Still, he sees reasons for confidence: "He has adjusted his throw slightly, so he's throwing more like he used to. If he keeps training this way, who knows how far he can go? He has the experience, and he should be able to handle one match a day. But they also need to get him in the right frame of mind. Things don't always go the way you want."
