Darts
Who is Luke Littler, the 17-year old sensation looking to win his first World Darts Championship?
The young Englishman has his sights set on the PDC title after falling short last year.
There was just one key story that the 2024 World Darts Championship delivered and that was the incredible journey of then 16-year-old Luke Littler as he progressed to the final of the celebrated competition only to fall short in the final to Luke Humphries.
Littler taking world darts by storm
The now 17-year-old has already become a household name across the UK with his easy going public profile and legion of followers on social media.
The emergence of the Warrington native has also been a breath of fresh air for the world of darts with the sport stuck in the stereotype of an “old school bar sport” with veterans of the game playing whilst smoking and drinking.
The emergence of the Warrington native has resonated with a younger generation of fans who want to follow in Littler’s footsteps on the oche with new sponsors getting on board aware that there is a new audience as the sport starts to makes a name for itself globally.
Littler’s popularity, having already earned more than £1m for his tournament results this year, has also led to him being nominated by the BBC for the Young Sportsperson of the Year award, alongside two other promising British sporters such as swimmer William Ellard and skater Sky Brown.
All eyes on the 2025 PDC Championship
The 2025 PDC Championship gets underway today (15 December) and runs through to the 3 January (2025) final with Littler’s achievements last year seeing interest in the competition rocket with demand for tickets for the Alexandra Palace event surging like never before.
This Christmas, ‘The Nuke’ (Littler) has overseen that his own-branded magnetic dart board has become one of the most popular Christmas gifts with younger players looking to emulate the man from Warrington.
Littler has been touted as the ‘Tiger Wood of darts’ with twice world champion Dennis Priestley stating: “I just hope he’s surrounding himself with the right people who will keep him grounded,” Priestley told talkSPORT radio. “If they can do that and he can remain at the top of his game for 10 or so years, he’ll be worth more than David Beckham.”
Far from allowing his fame to take his eye off the board, Littler’s aim has been spot on throughout a year in which he has claimed 10 titles from Bahrain to Wolverhampton, pocketing more than one million pounds ($1.27 million) in prize money alone.
All eyes now turn to North London where Littler is favourite to become the youngest world champion, although catching a glimpse of him in action may be a complex task with with second market ticket platform Viagogo saying demand has risen 95% year-on-year with fans from 32 countries set to descend on the iconic London venue.
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