Noa-Lynn van Leuven, the first transgender darts player to play in a televised PDC tournament against men, has announced she will “retire” from the sport for mental health reasons.
The 28-year-old made history last month by becoming the first transgender player to compete in the World Darts Championship, losing in the first round to Dutch compatriot Kevin Doets.
Van Leuven returned to action this week at Q-School, where players compete to earn PDC Tour Cards, but suffered another early elimination.
She later revealed on Instagram that she was taking a break from sports.
“Q-School 2025 is over, and unfortunately, I didn't play my best game. It's true that my mind hasn't been in the right place for a while. I've been struggling with my mental health for months, and every time the tournament comes around, I've tried to I pushed him aside, but this time he caught up with me,” Van Leuven announced.
Van Leuven became the first transgender player to compete at the World Darts Championship last month
“Trying to focus on darts while dealing with old traumas that were triggered last year just doesn't work, and I realized it was time to change my focus. It was time to prioritize my mental health and work on real improvement.
“This is not the end of my journey, just a step back to move forward. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way – I appreciate it more than words can express.”
Van Leuven added a number of hashtags to the post focusing on the importance of positive mental wellbeing, writing: #MentalHealthMatters #DartsJourney #StepBackToMoveForward #SelfCareFirst #MentalHealthAwareness #HealingJourney #FocusOnYourself #AthleteeverGentalHeeP
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