Luke Littler’s victory over Michael van Gerwen in the World Darts Championship final saw him smash the Dutch star’s record to become the youngest ever PDC world champion
Luke Littler’s victory over Michael van Gerwen in the World Darts Championship final saw him smash the Dutch star’s record to become the youngest ever PDC world champion Luke Littler’s victory over Michael van Gerwen in the World Darts Championship final saw him smash the Dutch star’s record to become the youngest ever PDC world champion
Luke Littler has already become the youngest winner of the PDC World Darts Championship, and the teenager has a clear target in his sights – the record 16 world titles won by Phil Taylor.
Littler, 17, overcame Michael van Gerwen in Friday’s final at Alexandra Palace. The teenager raced into a 4-0 lead against the three-time champion before rounding off a 7-3 victory.
Taylor didn’t win his first PDC world title until the age of 34, leaving Littler with plenty of time to catch up to his tally of 14 in the competition. ‘The Power’ also won a pair of BDO titles for a career total of 16, but those too came when he was more than a decade older than Littler is now.
It remains to be seen how long Littler will be able to dominate the sport, but two world finals from two attempts is as solid as starts come. The teenager was asked about his ambitions after beating Van Gerwen, and Taylor’s name came up – along with that of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
When asked about his reaction to talk of ‘Project Littler’ and comparisons with stars like Ronaldo, Manchester United fan Littler told PDC media: “Unbelievable. Comparing me to the likes of Ronaldo and Mbappe – I think Project Littler’s been going on for the last year now and I hope it continues.
“Because from what I know last year there weren’t many young kids in the crowd, but to see so many in the family section when we walk off stage, in that tier, it’s been good. And obviously most of them are wearing my shirts.
When asked about how many titles he might end up with, he added: “No idea. I could potentially break the record, if I want it then I’ll chase it, but for now I’m happy with one.”
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It was a near-nerveless display from Littler, who nailed his favoured double 10 finish time after time to triumph. “You know you’ve got the game, you can get rid of your nerves,” he said. “I did start to get nervous in the last leg of the match – I just said to myself ‘get rid of them’.”
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Littler’s beaten opponent Van Gerwen made it clear talents like the new world champion don’t come around all that often. In addition to the trophy, Littler walked away with the Ballon d’Art for the most 180s in this year’s tournament.
Learn more
Luke Littler is the new darts world champion, and you can emulate the 17-year-old with a set of his Target G1 Swiss Point darts for £99.95. You can also upgrade to the gold Prodigy darts for £129.95.
There is also a more affordable Loadout 90% Tungsten darts for £45.90. If you need something to throw them at, Amazon has reduced the Luke Littler Cabinet & Dartboard Set to £59.99.
“I come 4-0 behind and after that I didn’t do myself justice but that’s the way it is,” Van Gerwen said. “You need to try and fight and battle back but after coming back from 4-0 down I definitely not the worst player out of us but fair play to him. Every moment he got to hurt me, he did.
“I sometimes say every 17 years a star gets born and he’s one of them. Don’t get me wrong I had a lovely tournament. I’ve been battling my own game but that’s how it was. You have to take it on the chin and take it as a champion. It hurts but that’s how it should be. It is what it is.”
Order your souvenir 48-page publication celebrating Luke Littler’s historic World Championship win now. Buy now on our online shop!
Mirror – Sport