A trans-identifying man is facing backlash after he won professional darts titles against both men and women within the same week.
Darts star Noa-Lynn van Leuven, 27, a man who identifies as a woman, claimed victory 5-2 on Saturday against Ireland’s Katie Sheldon at the PDC Women’s Series event in Wigan, England.
The win came just days after van Leuven won a PDC Tour event on the Challenge Tour in Hildesheim, Germany. That event is open to both men and women.
The back-to-back wins prompted sharp criticism online.
“Again- women get the short end of the stick either way. And it stinks,” former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova posted Sunday on X.
VICTORY FOR VAN LEUVEN! 🇳🇱
Noa-Lynn van Leuven clinches her maiden PDC Women’s Series title in Wigan! 🏆
Van Leuven overcomes some late double trouble to defeat Irish youngster Katie Sheldon in the Event Two final!
