Berry van Peer from Sprundel impresses at the Darts World Cup in London. He will be in the third round on Friday. Special, because less than six years ago, nerves were playing tricks on Van Peer. He suffered from ‘darteritis’ which prevented him from throwing. Images of this went all over the world. “I’ve changed a lot, both in my throwing and my mentality.”
He was home for a while at Christmas. But Berry had not expected beforehand that he would have to board a plane again after Christmas on the way to London. The Darts World Cup will resume there after the holidays.
Last Sunday he defeated Josh Rock, former world youth champion and an outsider for the title, on the highest stage. The first leg of the match went to Rock, but Van Peer was not upset. In the end he won the game.
Very different from a few years ago, when he put too much pressure on himself. It caused darteritis at the 2017 Grand Slam, a condition in which darts players are unable or only have difficulty releasing their arrows.
Years of process
“It has been a years-long process to get rid of the darts habit,” says Van Peer in the Brabant Today program. “I have visited the physio a lot and changed my throw, among other things. But it has to click in your head in the end,” he says about the disease, which has a mental cause.
“Winning gives you confidence and confidence makes things better. It is a long process, but in the end things will turn out well.”
Now that he has overcome his problems, he is also an example for others. “I get a lot of responses from people who suffer from darteritis. They tell me: ‘I didn’t feel like playing darts anymore, but now that I see you shining at the World Cup, I also want to throw again. I’m happy that I can help others can motivate. It is an extra reason for me to go even further in this tournament. It gives me a great feeling.”
On Friday, Van Peer will face Australian Demon Heta, number 10 in the world, in the third round of the World Cup. If he wins, he will meet Michaël van Gerwen later in the tournament. “That other Brabander,” Van Peer calls him.