Luke Littler has won his first PDC World Championship and darts legend Phil Taylor believes the teenage sensation could break his record of 16 world title victories
Luke Littler has won his first PDC World Championship and darts legend Phil Taylor believes the teenage sensation could break his record of 16 world title victories Luke Littler has won his first PDC World Championship and darts legend Phil Taylor believes the teenage sensation could break his record of 16 world title victories
Phil Taylor has not ruled out Luke Littler surpassing his record stockpile of 16 world titles – because he’s got a 13-year head start.
The ‘Power’ was almost 30 years old when he landed the first of his world championship crowns in 1990 by demolishing his mentor Eric Bristow in the final. But Littler conquered the globe at 17 when he beat Michael van Gerwen to become the youngest darts world champion in history, and Taylor says time is on Luke the Nuke’s side if he wants to become the greatest player of all time.
The Power was 52 when he wore the PDC World Championship crown for the last time in 2013 – also against Van Gerwen, who was a rising star at 23. Taylor watched the Nuke go nuclear at Alexandra Palace on Friday night and said: “It’s entirely up to Luke how long he plays, how dedicated he remains and many titles he wins.
“For now, just let the kid play. He’s a world champion at 17 years old, the youngest to do it by a mile, and he’s just brilliant. When people ask how many world titles he can win, don’t forget he has all the time in the world if he wants it.
“I was nearly 30 when I won my first world championship, and Paul Lim won more than twice as much as me for hitting a nine-darter as I got for winning the whole thing. To win 16 of them in a 23-year period took a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifices.
“Only Luke himself knows, deep down, if he is prepared to put in the hours, and it’s up to him whether he wins another one, or five, or 15, 16, 17 and goes past me – but he’s young enough to do it.
“Let’s enjoy him, let’s celebrate a kid who is the best in the world at what he does, and worry later about how much he’s achieved when he decides to stop. But if he’s still playing at 40, it will mean he’s won a lot more.”
Taylor was hugely impressed by the way Littler dismantled the Dutch green machine who took over from The Power as world No.1 back in 2014. Luke the Nuke never looked like missing out on his date with history after surging into a 4-0 lead in the final, and Taylor said: “Youngsters now are fearless, almost disrespectful.
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“They don’t give tuppence who you are or what you’ve done – they are not frightened of anyone, you are there to be beaten. Michael used to intimidate his opponents and scare them to death. They would see that green shirt and they would melt, but I think that fear factor has gone now.
“He had chances to win the first two sets, and when he didn’t take them it was a like a rabbit in headlights – and once it was 4-0 there was no way back. It comes to us all. Michael has been a fantastic player for a long time, and only he knows whether the fire is still burning as hot, but he was well-beaten.”
Taylor, now 64, is in regular contact with Littler’s family and revealed his tip to stay at the top – look own at your feet. He said: “If I could give him one piece of advice, it wouldn’t be anything to do with his darts or the way he navigates his way around the board.
“I would tell him, ‘Shoes – if you’re not standing comfortably on the oche, you’re not going to hit a target the size of your little fingernail, so make sure your shoes fit perfectly and take two or three pairs with you everywhere.’
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“And sleep – make sure you get enough rest. I still take a mattress topper with me everywhere I go because some hotels beds are like sleeping in the middle of the road. Again, your darts won’t go where you want them to land if you are bleary-eyed after a restless night.”
Littler will take a short break and the next time he picks up a tungsten spear will be in the Persian Gulf when he defends his Bahrain Darts Masters title on January 16. After reaching the World Championship final as a 16-year-old, he proved it was no flash in the pan by landing his first PDC title – and hitting a nine-darter against Nathan Aspinall in his first leg of the tournament.
He was tickled pink by PDC president Barry Hearn’s anecdote that Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister watching the game incognito, in casual civvies among the crowd where nobody recognised him, and instantly fell in love with darts.
Littler said: “I didn’t know too much about Bahrain, but to win the first title of 2024 was to say, ‘I’m here on the World Series’ – and to say the World Championship wasn’t a fluke. But now I know darts is on the curriculum in Bahrain. And the golden palm tree trophy is lovely, it’s one of the nicer looking ones.”
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Littler’s rise to No.2 in the PDC order of merit also means he is in the box seat to be Luke Humphries’ sidekick at the World Cup of Darts this summer, where England will defend the title won by Michael Smith and Humphries in Frankfurt last June.
England always pick their two highest-ranked players for the tournament, and Littler was still climbing the charts seven months ago as ignorant fans bemoaned his absence. But the Lukes of Hazard will be favourites to bring darts home again in 2025 and Littler said: “Last year people didn’t know it was based on your ranking and everyone was asking, ‘Why is Luke Littler not in it?’
“I was like, ‘Because I’ve only just started my career.’ But now I’m pretty much in with Luke and I can’t wait to represent my country.”
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