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

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

After his meteoric rise during the 2024 World Darts Championships, Littler has weathered the pressure over the past month to become… The youngest world champion in the history of sports At 17 years, 11 months and 13 days.

He broke down the man who almost everyone would have had as their top three darts player of all time – and who was the youngest former world champion at 24 – in Michael van Gerwen on the biggest stage and emphasized his influence on darts.

This effect is what makes Littler so special. How can a teenager generate so much interest in sports? Have we seen anything like that before?

“He's not just here to win darts matches, he's also an entertainer. He's the complete package,” he said. Sky Sports Darts“Mark Webster.

“It happened like overnight. He's now world number two as well and it looks like there's more to come.

“He is very ambitious, very focused on the next tournaments, and that is the kind of guy he is. He has to celebrate this because of the victory, but when the season comes, he will be ready to play again.”

“It's not just about Luke, it's about his family as well. It's just an amazing journey.”

Special talent

Britain loves to root for underdogs, but there are a handful of athletes who are better, and they have the X-factor that makes people side with them, even if they win all the time.

Think of athlete Usain Bolt, 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, or snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan. You would be hard pressed to name more people who have dominated for so long, but are still loved.

Littler's age is a factor in the great support he has, but he also has that flare on the dartboard, where he plays fast, thinks fast to leave himself on the right end and shoots big scores or big pushes for fun.

“I'm probably the same person (as I was last year) but at this World Championship in particular, I let my emotions out after 180 minutes or a big exit,” Littler said.

“I'm usually very nice on the board, but it was nice to let my emotions out.”

Those emotions were on full display when he overcame his first hurdle to glory against Ryan Meikle before Christmas.

Letlier was broken in the third set at 1-1, and he was struggling, but he got himself out of trouble with something unusual in the final set to win 3-1.

You can see that Littler has gone into hyper focus mode with maximum intensity, almost as if he had the world on his shoulders.

He produced a winning average of 140.91 on 32 stocks, a number that no one may beat, except Littler himself.

His celebration was huge too when he stormed the stage and fire lit up in his eyes when he showed that Ally Pally is Littler Town and no one was allowed in.

“Since the Ryan Meikle game, I've settled in and felt like home,” said Littler, who said he wanted to erase the Meikle game from his mind.

“I settled in well throughout the tournament and in the final I did not feel any tension until the first leg (of the final) and I said: You were not shaken throughout the match, don’t do that now.”

Kid just loves arrows

Littler has handled the media attention very well. It's as if nothing bothers him, something the Warrington wonderkid says he's always had.

After reaching the semifinals, someone asked him at the press conference about his absence from D2 following his 2024 World Championship final loss to Luke Humphries, which would have put him 5-2 up and two sets away from becoming champion.

“Cheers for that,” he joked and dismissed the question perfectly. This is a great way to answer a question – coming from a journalist here, who has seen athletes lose their minds when asked about something that might hurt them.

“When he had these little defeats in the first round like in the World Matchplay and people were like ‘Is he the real deal?’ It was his family that came to pick him up,” Webster said.

Littler has been brought up so well and remains humble that he refuses to claim he is the best darts player in the world.

He has earned £1.3m on the PDC Tour over the past 12 months, including £500,000 to become world champion this year. That in itself is something to deal with but Littler doesn't seem to care.

“I probably (realize) when I think about how much I got. 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 Darts Championship Final, in anyone's first season on the Tour should not be underestimated.

Littler tears up history books everywhere he goes, and certainly lets his arrows do the talking, and do the talking a lot.

Webster continued: “Litler came here under pressure and was not the defending champion. He was a target and he's certainly been targeted now.”

“They will have to give their best and more because we saw what he has just done for Michael van Gerwen and what he has done throughout this tournament.

“He's not even two years into his career, and the challenge now is to go and win another major title that he hasn't won and then defend his title next year.

“There's always something else to achieve. He'll never think he's completed anything. You just have to credit his dedication, he's been loyal for a very long time.”

“It was a fantastic display throughout the tournament. He is a worthy champion and he will enjoy his moment.

“Michael really tried and never gave up, but Luke has all the answers. He played the decisive moments better, he was the best player in this tournament.”

“It's the last touch because you don't give your opponent any hope. Every time he was in the 10th, it felt like the ball was going in and Michael knew what was coming.

“He said he was 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 right.”

What's next for Letlier?

Littler will not train seriously for a week until the Bahrain Archery Championships in mid-January, which he did last year.

This seemed to work well, to say the least, as he scored nine quarters in his second match, and went on to lift the title, beating Van Gerwen in the final.

“I could have finished 2025 with absolutely nothing, but I got the best (Cup),” Littler said immediately after his latest victory.

“I want to get more than 10 titles this year, but if I finish 2025 with nothing, I have chosen the biggest title.”

After turning 18 later this month, Littler will defend his Premier League title All 17 nights are broadcast on Sky Sports, starting in Belfast on 6 February.

It seems impossible to reach Phil Taylor's 16 world titles. But age is on Littler's side, as 'The Nuke' has a range of talent and, most of all, he is mentally tough and that is a weapon that will be difficult for anyone else to break.

“If I wanted to get the 16, I'm sure I could make it happen,” Littler said when asked about Taylor's inevitable question.

In this day and age, winning six world titles would be incredible. This era may be called the Luke Littler era, and it is an era that could continue to explode for a very long time.

Watch English Premier League matches on Sky Sports

Watch all the events from Premier League on Sky Sports with Luke Littler aims to defend his title. The new Premier League season kicks 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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