Luke Littler: What makes the youngest world darts champion so special after Alexandra Palace triumph | News about darts
Luke Littler lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time on Friday night in a moment we’re sure to look back on for years and decades to come.
After a meteoric rise during the 2024 World Darts Championship, Littler came under pressure last month to become the youngest world champion in the history of sports at the age of 17 years, 11 months and 13 days.
He dismantled a man who almost everyone would have in their top three darts players of all time – and who was the previous youngest world champion at 24 – in Michael van Gerwen on the biggest stage and underlined the impact he has had on darts.
That influence is what makes Littler so special. How can a teenager attract so much attention to sports? Have we ever seen the like?
“He’s not just here to win darts, he’s also an entertainer. He’s the complete package,” he said. Sky Sports DartsMark Webster.
“Things have happened, it seems like overnight. He’s also now world No. 2 and there seems to be more to come.
“He’s so ambitious, so focused on the tournaments to come, that’s the type of guy he is. He’s got to celebrate that for the win, but when the season comes, he’ll be ready to do it again.
“It’s not just about Luke, it’s about his family. It’s just a fantastic journey.”
A special talent
Britain likes to root for the underdog, but there are a handful of athletes who are the best and have that X-factor to get people on their side, even if they keep winning.
Think of athlete Usain Bolt, 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer or snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan. It would be difficult to name more people who dominated for a long time, but were still loved.
Littler’s age is a factor in his big support, but he also has that flash on the dart board, playing fast, thinking quickly to leave himself on the right end and shoot for huge points or big check-outs for fun.
“I’m probably the same person [as last year] but especially at this World Cup, I let the emotions out after a 180 or a big checkout,” Littler said.
“I’m usually too nice on the board, but it was good to get the emotions out.”
That emotion was evident when he overcame his first hurdle to glory against Ryan Meikle before Christmas.
Littler got a break in the third set at 1-1, and struggled, but got out of trouble with something remarkable in the final set to win 3-1.
You could see that Littler had gone into ultra-focus mode with maximum intensity, almost as if he had the whole world on his shoulders.
He averaged a winning sets of 140.91 in 32 darts, a number that may not be surpassed by anyone except Littler himself.
And his celebration was massive as he immediately burst onto the stage, fire in his eyes as he pointed out that Ally Pally was Littler’s town and no one was allowed to enter.
“Since the Ryan Meikle game, I’ve settled in and felt at home,” said Littler, who said he wanted to put the Meikle game out of his mind.
“I did so well during the tournament and in the final I didn’t feel any nerves until the last leg [of the final] and I said ‘You didn’t shake the whole game, don’t now’.”
A kid who just loves darts
Littler handled the media attention incredibly well. Nothing seems to faze him, which is something the prodigy from Warrington says he’s always had.
After his semi-final, someone asked him at a press conference about the missed D2 since his 2024 World Championship final loss to Luke Humphries, which would have put him 5-2 up and two sets away from becoming the champion.
He joked “cheers for that” and deflected the question perfectly. That’s a great way to answer the question – coming from a reporter here, who has seen athletes lose when asked about something that might hurt.
“When he had those little losses in the first round like at the World Matchplay and people thought ‘Is he the real deal?’ His family is here to pick him up,” Webster said.
Littler is very well mannered and remains humble, so much so that he refuses to say he is the best darts player in the world.
He earned £1.3m on the PDC Tour in the last 12 months, with £500,000 for becoming world champion this year. That in itself is something to deal with, but Littler doesn’t seem to care.
“They probably will [sink in] when I realize the amount of money I picked up. But it’s about the trophy,” he said.
“I don’t like to talk about money, but it’s there.”
Ten PDC titles, including a Premier League, a Grand Slam and a World Series of Darts Final, should not be underestimated for anyone’s first season on the tour.
Littler tears up the history books wherever he goes and lets his darts do the talking, a lot.
“Littler came here under pressure and he wasn’t the defending champion. He had a grudge against him, and he certainly does now,” Webster continued.
“He’s going to have to bring his A-game and more because we saw what he just did to Michael van Gerwen and what he’s been doing throughout this tournament.
“He’s not even two years into his career, now the challenge is for him to go and win other major tournaments that he hasn’t won and then defend his title next year.
“There’s always something more to achieve. He’ll never think he’s done something. You’ve just got to applaud his dedication, he’s been dedicated for a long, long time.
“It was a great display throughout the tournament. He is a deserving champion and will enjoy his moment.
“Michael was good and never gave up, but Luke has all the answers. He played the key moments better, he was the best player of this tournament.
“It’s the finish because you don’t give your opponent any hope. Every time he was on double 10, you felt it was going to go in and Michael knew what was coming.
“He said he was feeling nervous, but he didn’t look like it. If you can do that to Michael van Gerwen in a world final, you’re doing something good.”
What next for Littler?
Littler will not practice seriously for a week until the Bahrain Darts Masters in mid-January, which he did last year.
It seemed to work well, to say the least, as he hit a nine-darter in his second return match to lift the title, defeating Van Gerwen in the final.
“I could end 2025 winning absolutely nothing, but I picked up the best [trophy]”, Littler said immediately after his final victory.
“I want to win more than 10 titles this year, but if I end up with nothing in 2025, I’ve picked up the big one.”
After turning 18 later this month, Littler will defend his Premier League crown – with all 17 nights live on Sky Sports, starting with Belfast on February 6.
Phil Taylor’s record 16 world titles seem impossible to reach. But age is on Littler’s side, ‘The Nuke’ has a ton of talent and above all, he is so mentally strong that he is a weapon that will be difficult for anyone else to break.
“If I want 16, I’m sure I can get it,” Littler said when asked about the inevitable Taylor question.
In this era, to win half a dozen world titles would be incredible. And this era could go down as the Luke Littler era, one that could continue to explode for a very long time.
Watch Premier League Darts on Sky Sports
Watch all the action from Premier League on Sky Sports with Luke Littler wants to defend his title. The new Premier League season will kick off in Belfast on Thursday 6 February as darts’ biggest party returns to an unchanged line-up of 17 venues across the UK and Europe.
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