NOS Jules van Dongen looks at notebooks from the past, containing darts scores
NOS Sport•vandaag, 07:47
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Laurens Sembiring
editor darts
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Laurens Sembiring
editor darts
There are plenty of tattoos and where the typical darts belly should have been, the shirt hangs loosely around the body. No wonder, if that body is used to fifteen-hour Ironman triathlons. “Yes, I notice that my path to the top is different from that of other darts players.”
These are the words of darts player Jules van Dongen, who is sitting at his parents’ kitchen table looking intently through several notebooks containing darts scores from the past.
Today the Limburger makes his debut at the World Darts Championship, the biggest tournament of the year. While many darts players start at a young age or discover in the pub that they have talent, Van Dongen takes a completely different path to the world top.
Endurance sports
“I have always played a lot of sports and my will to win is very strong. My mentality helps me a lot.”
Van Dongen says he developed this mentality by practicing endurance sports. Marathons, triathlons and Iron Mans, Van Dongen has it all covered. “I wasn’t very good at it, but I really enjoyed it. Especially the challenge. Fourteen or fifteen hours of endurance sports. It was tough, yes.”
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NOS
Notebooks from Van Dongen, containing darts scores
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NOS
Van Dongen leafs through children’s magazines with his mother
And he is still reaping the benefits of that. “Darts is very mental. These endurance sports make you not want to give up. I have learned how to deal with setbacks. And that you should not be too negative when things are not going well.”
The latter in particular helps Van Dongen when playing darts, for example if he misses an important arrow.
Discarded arrows
“I don’t think I have the best technique, but I have good hand-eye coordination. And I think I can still make gains in terms of material.”
While other players make a whole study of which arrows suit them best, Van Dongen throws with a discarded set from Berry van Peer. “He threw them on the table and said: I don’t need them anymore. I picked up the set, started throwing them and I have been doing that for a year now.”
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Own picture
Jules van Dongen together with his father
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Own picture
Jules van Dongen during a triathlon
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Own picture
Jules van Dongen during a triathlon
And not unimportantly, Van Dongen is successful with it. “Berry regularly confronts me about it and says that he still gets money from me for his arrows. If I win the World Cup, he will get a percentage from me,” Van Dongen jokes.
Online tournaments
Van Dongen was born and raised in Meerssen, Limburg, but plays for the United States. Due to his relationship, he has lived in the American state of Missouri since 2013 and is therefore allowed to fly under a different flag than the Dutch one.
And Van Dongen is proud of that. “Look, if you play for the Netherlands, you are one of twenty professionals. At the moment I am the only American professional. So I can do more for America for the sport than for the Netherlands.”
Draw
Van Dongen will play against Englishman Darren Penhall in the first round. If he wins, the Limburger will meet Joe Cullen, number fourteen in the world, in the second round.
Unlike many other darts players, Van Dongen only took up darts at a later age. During the corona crisis he lost his job in a hotel and suddenly the Limburger had much more time on his hands.
“There were fewer because of Covid real life tournaments and online darts became big in America. I have played a lot online and that gives you the opportunity to play against the best darts players worldwide. And to win from it.”
Van Dongen then also started winning at so-called floor tournaments and won one in 2022 tourcard of the PDC, which allows him to participate in the most important tournaments.
Hollywood?
“I notice that I am receiving more and more attention, from the media, but also from sponsors. And I have been approached to act in a film,” says the right-handed darts player.
Ed Mulholland/PDCDarter Jules van Dongen
“Next April we are going to shoot a movie. The movie is called Bulls the Movie. It is about the World Cup where you have to throw in couples and is a comedy. I can also reveal that actor Michael Shannon (twice nominated for an Oscar, ed.) is playing.”
“Acting is not really my thing, I think. I have now received the script, but I don’t have to take acting lessons. We will see how it goes and maybe I will go to Hollywood. That would be nice.”
But first Van Dongen’s World Cup debut will follow in London. “I sometimes imagine that I am on stage. Later, with all the adrenaline, I will put on a show. I will enjoy it immensely.”
2023-12-16 06:47:32
#Triathlons #acting #discarded #darts #World #Cup #debutant #takes #approach
