Dutch player Noa-Lynn van Leuven became the first transgender woman to compete at the PDC World Darts Championship on Tuesday, although her run ended at the first hurdle with a 3-1 defeat to compatriot Kevin Doets.
Van Leuven took the first set after Doets struggled with his doubles. However, in the first leg of the second set, both players showed their nerves as they each took multiple turns to check out. It ended with Doets finding double one with his 33rd dart before he went onto win the set.
Doets eventually took the two remaining sets, although Van Leuven remained competitive, including throwing six perfect darts to start a leg in the final set that produced a short-lived opportunity at a nine-darter.
“[It was] tough. Especially at the beginning, she played better than I did. It was really hard,” Doets told Sky Sports. “Every World Championships there is a leg like that, I was unfortunate to have it today. I was just fighting, fighting, fighting.”
Van Leuven has won four events in the PDC’s Women’s Series in the past two years. It is her first appearance at the year’s World Championship, which includes both men and women.
However, she has faced abuse during her career, including being booed by the crowd at the Grand Slam of Darts, where she made her first appearance in November.
“[This] crowd were amazing though,” Doets added. “They didn’t boo anyone. they didn’t boo me, they were great.”
Belgium
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