Michael van Gerwen described the criticism aimed at Noa-Lynn van Leuven as ‘heartbreaking’ before whitewashing her at the Grand Slam of Darts on Saturday night.
Van Leuven, who began to transition in 2022, became the first transgender player to compete at the tournament when she took to the stage at Aldersley Leisure Village. But it proved to be a baptism of fire as Van Gerwen romped to a resounding 5-0 victory in just over 10 minutes.
‘Mighty Mike’ made a winning start despite not being at his best, averaging 96.35 and converting half of his darts at double. Van Leuven, meanwhile, averaged 86.48 and missed both of her double opportunities.
Van Leuven qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts courtesy of her exploits in the Women’s Series. But many have questioned whether the 28-year-old should be allowed to compete on the women’s circuit at all.
Van Gerwen addressed the criticism before their match, telling AD.nl: “It’s just heartbreaking. She does what she does and she can play terrific darts. Let her play nice. For me, there’s never been a discussion, but I don’t make the rules.
“The PDC has people who go over them. They can never make the right choice anyway. If they go left, people say they should go right and vice versa. Everyone has an opinion about it, but there is no point at all in continuing to argue.”
Having landed in a tough Group G, Van Leuven is gearing up for two more tricky matches on Sunday and Monday. First up is World Grand Prix semi-finalist Ryan Joyce, before a meeting with two-time world champion Gary Anderson.
Though Van Leuven’s participation on the women’s darts circuit has not gone down well universally, with Deta Hedman one player who has refused to play her in protest, reigning world champion Luke Humphries insists the Dutchwoman is not doing anything wrong.
“Every sport has their rules and she qualifies in the rules,” he said. “So, as much as it might annoy people, she’s not doing anything that’s illegal, she’s not cheating. She’s doing what’s in the rules. If that changes, then things will change.
“But she’s not doing anything physically wrong. It’d be nice if people let her get on with it and play. But yeah, I wish her all the best. Hopefully she gets a win and it’s good for her.”
