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

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 has come under pressure in the last month to become the youngest world champion in the history of sports aged 17 years, 11 months and 13 days.

He dismantled a man who almost everyone would have ranked 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 anything like it?

“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 happened, it seems like overnight. He is now the second world number and it seems that there is 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 this for the win it is, but when the season comes, he'll be ready to go again.

“It's not just about Luke, it's about his family. It's just a fantastic journey.”

A special talent

Britain likes to back the underdog, but there are a few athletes who are the best and have that X-factor to get people on their side, even if they keep winning.

Think athlete Usain Bolt, 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer or snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan. You'd struggle to name more people who have dominated for a long period of time but are still beloved.

Littler's age is a factor in his huge support, but he also has that cuteness on the dartboard, plays on the fly, thinks quickly to leave on the right finish, and fires in huge scores or big check-outs for fun.

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

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

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

Littler was broken 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 like he had the world on his shoulders.

He averaged a winning set of 140.91 in 32 darts, a number that no one can beat except Littler himself.

And his celebration was big as he stormed stage right and fire lit 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 calmed down and felt at home,” reflected Littler, who said he wanted to put the Meikle match out of his mind.

“I did so well throughout the tournament and in the final I didn't feel the nerves until the last game (of the final) and I said 'You didn't shake the whole game, don't do it now'.”

A kid who just loves darts

Littler handled the media attention incredibly well. Nothing seems to faze him, which the Warrington prodigy said he always had.

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

He joked “he's rooting for it” and deflected the question perfectly. That's a great way to answer the question – coming from a reporter here, who has seen athletes get lost when asked about something that can hurt.

“When he had these little losses in the first round like in the World Matchplay and people thought 'Is he for real?' It's his family that's there 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 has earned £1.3m on the PDC Tour in the past 12 months, with £500,000 for this year's world champion. That in itself is something to deal with, but Littler doesn't seem to care.

“It will probably (sink in) when I think about 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 rips up the history books wherever he goes and certainly lets his darts talk, talk a lot.

“Littler came here under pressure and he wasn't the defending champion. He had it in mind and he certainly has it now,” Webster continued.

“They're going to have to bring their A-game and more because we saw what he just did to Michael van Gerwen and what he's done during this tournament.

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

“There's always something more to achieve. He'll never think he's done. You just have to applaud his commitment, he's been committed for a long, long time.

“It was one display in the entire tournament. He is a deserving champion and will enjoy his moment.

“Michael had the right move and never let up, but Luke has all the answers. He played better key moments, he was the best player in this tournament.

“It's a finish because you don't offer 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 felt 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 Littler?

Littler will not train 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 clawed his way back with nine darts in his second match to go on to lift the title, defeating Van Gerwen in the final.

“I could have finished 2025 winning absolutely nothing, but I picked up the best (trophy),” Littler said immediately after his eventual victory.

“I want to win more than 10 titles this year, but if I finish 2025 with nothing, I took the big one.”

After turning 18 later this month, Littler will defend his Premier League title – 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 tons of talent, and above all, he is so mentally strong that he is a weapon that will be hard 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 long time to come.

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