KNOWING NOA
Who is trans darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven?
Van Leuven has opened up about how she nearly lost her passion for darts before transitioning
NOA-LYNN van Leuven made history when she became the first trans woman to play in a darts tournament on TV.
And she's at it again — on December 17, 2024, Van Leuven will become the first transgender player to compete at the PDC World Darts Championship.
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Noa-Lynn van Leuven secured her spot at Alexandra Palace following a run of impressive Women’s Series performances.
She defeated women’s world No. 1 Beau Greeves 5-3 in the final of Women’s Series 21, setting a record average of 109.64 in the process.
Van Leuven said: "It’s going to be a big achievement for me and for my kind of people. But I guess I just want to be Noa.
“I just want to play darts and not always having to talk about the fact I’m also transgender.
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"I’m a darts player and I’m terribly good at it.
"But I guess it’s a big thing and I’m also the first Dutchwoman to play on the Alexandra Palace stage."
Who is Noa-Lynn van Leuven?
Born on September 27, 1996, Noa-Lynn van Leuven is a Dutch darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
In 2023, she was the first trans woman to play in a darts TV tournament.
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Van Leuven only began transitioning in 2022, and joined the Women's Series around the same time.
She previously revealed how before she transitioned, she even considered giving up darts due to feeling depressed.
Michael van Gerwen speaks out after transgender Grand Slam rival Noa-Lynn van Leuven's booed and says 'What can you do-'
"I never really got into a group with people around darts. I was really unhappy with myself so my darts game wasn't that good," van Leuven told .
"When you're not feeling great then nothing in life will be really, really good. I quit darts and then I became a happier version of myself but then I really wanted to start playing darts again.
"I tried to enjoy life as much as possible. I transitioned before going through a lot of meetings with a psychologist."
When van Leuven isn't busy taking over the world of darts, she still works as a chef de partie at her local restaurant in Heemskerk, a small town outside of Amsterdam.
I think it's tough for transgender people to play sports, especially when people know that you're trans because you have a big advantage until you prove it's not.
Noa-Lynn van Leuven
She also has worked as a mediator offering support for trans people.
What competitions has Noa-Lynn van Leuven won?
Van Leuven made her debut at the 2022 PDC Women's Series.
She reached the quarter-finals of both events 13 and 14 of the Women's Series, losing to Beau Greaves 4–2 and Laura Turner 4–3 respectively.
At the 2023 Dutch Open, Van Leuven entered the event as the 15th seed and reached the semi-finals, losing to Aileen de Graaf.
However, she went onto win the Denmark Open in 2023, beating Irina Armstrong.
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This was followed by more triumph in March 2024, when van Leuven won the PDC Women’s Series, eight days after beating male rivals in a mixed event.
Van Leuven had to pass stringent transitioning tests to play in women's darts.
The Darts Regulation Authority, the governing body for the PDC, states: "Darts is open to all who wish to be involved in any capacity and we encourage all trans and non-binary participants to take part."
This has allowed Van Leuven to compete in the sport she loves.
She has spoken about her sympathy for trans athletes who want to compete in other sports that exclude them from competing in the gender category they identify with.
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She told Sky Sports: "I feel devastated by the people that get hit by that.
"I think it's tough for transgender people to play sports, especially when people know that you're trans because you have a big advantage until you prove it's not."
Van Leuven has also opened up about the death threats she received following her Dutch teammates refusing to play alongside her.
In March 2024, Dutch duo Anca Zijlstra and Aileen de Graaf left the national women’s team because they did not want to play with a trans woman.
Van Leuven said: “We all remember when my Dutch team-mates pulled out.
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“I got so many hate messages on my socials.
“People recognised me on the street. Most were fine and really supportive.
“But those messages, like death threats . . . how many did I get? On a daily basis? In that period, yes.
“But I love this game, so I’ll keep playing.”
Is Noa-Lynn van Leuven on social media?
Van Leuven likes to keep her followers up-to-date on her social media channels.
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On Instagram you can follow her on her popular handle @noalynn180
Over on Twitter/X van Leuven posts regular updates on her channel @dartsnoa.
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