17-year-old darts sensation Luke Littler has won the sport’s World Championship, downing three-time champion Michael van Gerwen to realise his destiny.
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Littler became a national phenomenon in England with his shock run to the final 12 months ago before being defeated by Luke Humphries.
This time there was no stopping “Luke the Nuke” as he stormed past Dutchman Van Gerwen by seven sets to three.
He is by far the youngest ever world darts champion, surpassing van Gerwen’s win as a 24-year-old, and also pockets £500,000 (A$1m).
“I can’t believe it,” Littler told Sky Sports. “Everyone dreams of lifting this trophy but you have to get through a tough field.
“At 2-0 up I started getting nervous but I said to myself ‘just relax’,” he added. “I was throwing for the match but to get it over and done with was special.”
Littler has inspired a boom for darts over the past 12 months.
His defeat to Humphries 12 months ago was the most-watched sports event, outside football, in broadcaster Sky Sports’ 34-year history with 4.8 million viewers.
Littler also came above British prime minister Keir Starmer and King Charles in Google’s most searched for people of 2024 in the UK.
“I sometimes say every 17 years a star gets born and he’s one of them,” said Van Gerwen, who had been the previous youngest winner when he lifted the title in 2014 aged 24.“Every moment he got to hurt me, he did.”
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