You’ve probably seen the name Noa-Lynn van Leuven popping up in your news feed lately. It’s usually tied to some heated debate about fairness, biology, or the future of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). But if you strip away the shouting matches on social media, there is a person standing at the oche with three 24-gram Cosmo darts in her hand, trying to hit a target smaller than a postage stamp.
Honestly, Noa-Lynn—often called The Duchess—is arguably the most scrutinized athlete in the world of darts right now.
She made history as the first openly transgender person to play at the PDC World Darts Championship, debuting in the 2025 event and returning for the 2026 edition. She’s won titles. She’s been booed. She’s had teammates quit rather than play on the same squad. It's a lot. But to understand why she’s such a lightning rod, you have to look past the headlines and at the actual trajectory of her career.
The Kitchen, the Oche, and the "Glow-Up"
Before she was a household name in the Netherlands, Noa-Lynn was working as a chef de partie. Long hours. Hot kitchens. It's the kind of job that requires a thick skin and a lot of discipline. She’s joked before that cooking and darts are her two biggest hobbies, and she just happened to turn both into careers.
She started playing when she was just eight years old. Her parents gave her a set of darts, and she was a natural. By 17, she was good enough to play for the Dutch youth team. But something was wrong. She’s been very open about the fact that she was deeply unhappy during those years, struggling with depression and a sense that she wasn't living as her true self.
She stopped playing for a while.
The transition started around age 16 or 17. She’s often referred to this period as her "big glow-up." It wasn't about getting an edge in a sport; it was about survival. She told reporters she basically had two choices: end it or live as who she wanted to be. She chose to live. After undergoing hormone therapy and completing her transition in 2022, she returned to the sport she loved.
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Breaking Down the Performance: Is There an Advantage?
This is where things get "kinda" complicated.
When Noa-Lynn van Leuven won the Denmark Open in 2023, the mood shifted. Suddenly, she wasn't just a participant; she was a winner. Then came the 2024 season, where she absolutely tore up the PDC Women’s Series, winning four titles. She even hit an incredible average of 109.64 in a match against Beau Greaves in Leicester. For context, that is a world-class average that would make most men on the ProTour sweat.
Naturally, the "unfair advantage" argument exploded.
- The Physical Argument: Darts isn't rugby. You aren't tackling anyone. However, critics argue that biological males have better hand-eye coordination or height advantages that make the release point more consistent.
- The Mental Resilience: Some suggest the bone density or muscle memory developed during puberty provides a permanent physiological edge.
- The Counterpoint: Darts is a game of fine motor skills and nerves. If being male was a massive physical cheat code, every tall guy in a pub would be hitting 180s.
The World Darts Federation (WDF) eventually landed on one side of the fence, voting in late 2024 to ban transgender women from female-only events. They transitioned their women's events to "biological females only" and moved trans athletes to an "Open" category. Noa-Lynn called it being "cancelled."
But the PDC—the big leagues—took a different path. They follow the International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines regarding testosterone levels. As long as she meets those medical requirements, she’s good to go.
A Year of Extremes: 2025 and 2026
If you think Noa-Lynn has had it easy because of her background, just look at her recent results. 2025 was a rollercoaster. She started the year slow, failing to get past the quarter-finals in the first eight Women's Series events. People started whispering that maybe she'd peaked.
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Then she went home to Rosmalen.
In April 2025, she won Events 9 and 10 back-to-back. She whitewashed Stefanie Lueck 5-0 in one final. She beat Rhian O'Sullivan 5-1 in the next. It was a dominant display of power scoring. She finished the 2025 Women's Series ranked 4th overall, which secured her spot at the 2026 World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
The 2026 appearance at "Ally Pally" was different from her debut. In 2025, she won the first set against Kevin Doets before falling 3-1. This time, in December 2025 (playing in the 2026 tournament cycle), she ran into a brick wall named Peter "Snakebite" Wright.
The former World Champion didn't give her an inch. She lost 3-0. Her doubles were shaky—only hitting about 19% of her attempts. It was a tough watch for her fans, but the atmosphere was notably different. While she faced protesters outside with "Save Women's Sports" banners, the crowd inside was largely supportive. She admitted after the match that this year hadn't been her best, but she felt more like "herself" on stage.
The Reality of the Pro Circuit
Life on the tour isn't just about the matches you see on TV. It’s the hostility in the practice rooms.
Noa-Lynn has been very candid about the "toxic" environment she sometimes faces. Two of her Dutch teammates, Aileen de Graaf and Anca Zijlstra, actually resigned from the national team because they refused to play alongside her. Deta Hedman, a legend of the game, famously forfeited a match rather than play against her.
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That’s a lot of weight to carry when you’re trying to focus on a 1.25-inch double-20.
Despite the friction, she’s found allies in high places. Luke Humphries, the world number one, has been vocal. He basically says: look, she’s following the rules, she’s a good player, just let her play. Michael van Gerwen has said similar things. When the best players in the world are backing you, it carries weight.
What’s Next for The Duchess?
Noa-Lynn isn't going anywhere. She’s already eyeing Q-School to try and win a full PDC Tour Card. If she does that, she wouldn't just be playing in the Women's Series; she’d be a full-time pro playing against the men every week.
In many ways, that would solve the "fairness" debate for her critics—she’d be competing in the open pool where biology isn't the primary talking point.
Actionable Takeaways for Darts Fans
If you're following Noa-Lynn van Leuven's career, there are a few things to keep an eye on to understand the real impact she's having:
- Watch the Averages, Not the Gender: If you want to know if Noa-Lynn is "too good" for the women's game, look at her seasonal averages. When she stays in the mid-80s, she's competitive. When she hits the 90s, she’s nearly unbeatable on the women's circuit.
- Follow the PDC vs. WDF Split: The two organizations have fundamentally different philosophies right now. The WDF is leaning toward "biological protected categories," while the PDC is sticking to "medically regulated inclusion." This split will define the sport for the next decade.
- Monitor the Tour Card Race: The real test of her skill level will be her performance in the Challenge Tour and Q-School. Succeeding there would prove she belongs in the top 128 players in the world, regardless of the category she plays in.
Noa-Lynn van Leuven is a reminder that sports are never just about the scoreline. They are about who we allow to play, how we define fairness, and the personal cost of being a pioneer. Whether you agree with her participation or not, her presence has forced darts to grow up and face some very modern, very difficult questions.
For now, she’s just going to keep throwing. She’s got a kitchen to manage and a board to master.