Michael van Gerwen, the renowned Dutch darts player, was punched in the face by an unknown assailant at a bar in Den Bosch on Monday, during the King's Day celebrations. Video footage circulating online shows Van Gerwen speaking with a man and a woman before the attacker suddenly strikes him. Security personnel intervened, pulling the assailant away as Van Gerwen pursued him across the bar.
The 37-year-old former world number one later told Dutch sports news site Sportnieuws.nl that the attacker "clearly had too much to drink" and that the aggression seemed unprovoked. "Just as he seemed to be heading for the exit, he suddenly lashed out," Van Gerwen said. The assailant later apologized via Instagram, and Van Gerwen has decided not to press charges. He admitted that chasing the man was an "automatic reaction of shock" and not the right response.
The incident occurred ahead of Van Gerwen's Premier League match in Aberdeen on Thursday, where he lost 6-3 to Luke Humphries in the quarter-finals. Van Gerwen, ranked second all-time in the PDC with 48 major singles titles, was world number one from 2014 to 2021.