Luke Littler: What makes youngest ever world darts champion so special after Alexandra Palace triumph | Darts News

Luke Littler lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time on Friday evening in a moment we will surely look back on in the years and decades to come.

After a meteoric rise during the 2024 World Darts Championship, Littler delivered under the pressure over the last month to become the youngest world champion in the sport’s history at 17 years, 11 months and 13 days old.

He dismantled a man who nearly everyone would have in their top three darts players of all time – and who was the previous youngest world champion at 24 years old – in Michael van Gerwen on the biggest stage and underlined the impact he’s had on darts.

That impact is what makes Littler so special. How can a teenager generate this much attention on a sport? Have we ever seen the like?

“He is not just here to win darts matches, he is an entertainer as well. He is the complete package,” said Sky Sports Darts‘ Mark Webster.

“Things have happened it feels like overnight. He is now world no 2 as well and it feels like there is more to come.

“He is so ambitious, so focused for tournaments to come that is the type of guy he is. He has to celebrate this because of the victory it is but when the season comes, he will be ready to go again.

“It is not just about Luke, it is about his family as well. It is just a fantastic journey.”

A special talent

Britain loves to support the underdog but there are a handful of sportspeople who are the best, and have that X-factor to get people on their side, even if they win all the time.

Think athlete Usain Bolt, 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer or snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan. You would struggle to name more people who dominated for a long period, but were still loved.

Littler’s age is a factor for his huge support but he also has that flamboyance on the dart board, playing at speed, thinking quickly to leave himself at the right finish and firing in huge scores or big checkouts for fun.

“I am probably the same person [as last year] but this World Championship especially, I let my emotions out after a 180 or a big checkout,” said Littler.

“Usually I’m too nice on the board but it was good to let my emotions out.”

That emotion was clear to see when overcoming his first hurdle to glory against Ryan Meikle before Christmas.

Littler was a break down in the third set at 1-1, and struggling but he got himself out of trouble with something extraordinary in the last set to win 3-1.

You could see Littler went into ultra-focus mode with maximum intensity, almost like he had the world on his shoulders.

He produced a winning set average of 140.91 in 32 darts, a number which may not be beaten by anyone, apart from Littler himself.

His celebration was massive too as he stormed stage right and a fire lit up in his eyes as he showed that Ally Pally is Littler’s town and nobody was allowed in.

“Since the Ryan Meikle game, I settled and felt like I was at home,” reflected Littler, who stated he wanted to wipe the Meikle match out of his mind.

“I settled so well throughout the tournament and in the final I didn’t feel any nerves up until the last leg [of the final] and I said ‘You’ve not shook all game, don’t do it now’.”

A kid who just loves darts

Littler has handled the media attention incredibly well. It feels like nothing fazes him, which is something the wonderkid from Warrington says he’s always had.

After his semi-final, someone asked him in the press conference about his missed D2 from his 2024 World Championship final defeat to Luke Humphries, which would have put him 5-2 up and two sets away from becoming champion.

He joked “cheers for that” and batted away the question perfectly. That’s a great way to answer a question – coming from a journalist here, who has seen sportspeople lose it when asked about something which may hurt.

“When he has had these little first-round defeats like in the World Matchplay and people have thought ‘Is he the real deal?’ It is his family who are there to pick him up,” said Webster.

Littler has been brought up very well and remains humble, so much so that he refuses to state he’s the best darts player in the world.

He’s earned £1.3m on the PDC Tour over the last 12 months, with £500,000 for becoming world champion this year. That in itself is something to deal with but it feels like Littler doesn’t care.

“It probably will [sink in] when I get my head around the amount of money I picked up. But it’s about the trophy,” he said.

“I don’t like talking about the money but it’s there.”

Ten PDC titles, including the Premier League, Grand Slam and World Series of Darts Finals, should not be underestimated for anyone’s first season on the tour.

Littler is ripping up the history books everywhere he goes and certainly lets his darts do the talking, a lot of talking.

“Littler came here under pressure and he wasn’t the defending champion. He had a bullseye on him and he certainly has a bullseye on him now,” continued Webster.

“They are going to have to bring their A-game and more because we have seen what he has just done to Michael van Gerwen and what he has done throughout this tournament.

“He is not even two years into his career, the challenge now is for him to go and win other majors he hasn’t won and then defend his title next year.

“There is always something else to achieve. He will never think he has completed anything. You have just got to applaud his dedication, he has been dedicated for a long, long time.

“It was some display all tournament. He’s a deserving champion and he’s going to enjoy his moment.

“Michael had a real go and never gave in but Luke has all the answers. He played the key moments better, He’s been the best player this tournament.

“It’s the finishing because you’re offering your opponent no 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 felt nervous but he didn’t look it. If you can do that to Michael van Gerwen in a world final you’re doing something right.”

What next for Littler?

Littler will not practice seriously for a week until the Bahrain Darts Masters in mid-January, which is what he did last year.

That seemed to work quite well, to say the least, as he produced a nine-darter in his second match back and went on to lift the title, beating 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 win.

“I want to get more than 10 titles this year but if I end 2025 with nothing, I’ve picked the big one up.”

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-breaking 16 world titles seems impossible to reach. But age is on Littler’s side, ‘The Nuke’ has bundles of talent, and, above all, he’s mentally so strong and that’s a weapon which will be hard for everyone else to break.

“If I want the 16, I’m sure I can possibly achieve it,” said Littler when asked about the inevitable Taylor question.

In this era, winning half a dozen world titles would be incredible. And this era might go down as the Luke Littler era, one that could continue exploding for a very long time.

Watch the Premier League Darts on Sky Sports

Watch all the action from the Premier League on Sky Sports with Luke Littler aiming to defend his title. The new Premier League season will begin in Belfast on Thursday, February 6, as darts’ biggest party returns to an unchanged line-up of 17 venues across the UK and Europe.

Who will win the Premier League Darts? Watch all the action on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.