Wessel Nijman captured his first major title on Sunday, winning the European Darts Trophy in Göttingen with an 8-3 victory over Gerwyn Price in the final. The 25-year-old Dutchman secured the top prize of £35,000, marking a breakthrough on the big stage after building a reputation on the PDC floor circuit over the past year and a half.
Nijman's path to the title began with a tough opening match against Cristo Reyes, where he survived several tricky moments to advance. He then beat Mike De Decker 6-2 on Saturday to reach the final day. On Sunday, he delivered a statement performance against compatriot Gian van Veen, averaging a remarkable 112.87 in a dominant 6-1 win—the highest stage average of his career. He followed that with quarterfinal and semifinal victories over Josh Rock and Niels Zonneveld, narrowly missing a nine-darter against Rock.
In the final against Price, Nijman showcased his quality again, sealing the title with a superb 150 checkout via double 18 in the deciding leg, which brought the Göttingen crowd to its feet. Emotionally moved after the win, Nijman said, "I think there are no words to describe how I’m feeling right now. I felt so great all day long. I think you saw when I played Gian, Josh and Niels, I played so well." He added that his belief grew throughout the day, thinking, "This could be the day you win a title."
Nijman attributed his current form to increased practice time since stopping work, saying, "I’m practising more and more now; I’ve never put this many hours in on the board." He emphasized that he felt a strong urge to prove himself on the big stage, stating, "I didn’t need to prove anything to myself. I needed to prove to other people that I can play like this on the big stage. I’m doing it now in a European Tour event." With this title, Nijman aims to reach the world's top sixteen, calling it a "big step" toward his goal of becoming a seeded player in major tournaments.
