Seventeen-year-old Luke Littler will become the youngest darts world champion of all time if he beats three-time winner Michael van Gerwen in tonight’s final.
It’s no small task for the darting star – but he’ll have few doubters after a breakthrough 12 months which has seen him win 10 trophies.
Despite his age, Littler, nicknamed “The Nuke”, already has valuable experience of the World Darts Championship final, having made it there last year before getting beaten by world number one Luke Humphries.
The teen has fast become one of the sport’s biggest names – but how did he get here?
Here’s everything you need to know about the darting prodigy – from learning to play in nappies as a toddler to building new rivalries.
Playing darts at 18 months old
He may only be a teenager but Littler, from Warrington, Cheshire, has been practising his throwing for some time.
He previously told Sky News: “There’s a video on YouTube of me when I was 18 months in a nappy listening to Raymond van Barneveld’s music, listening to Phil Taylor’s music, doing their celebrations.
“That’s when it started – 18 months and in a nappy on a magnetic board.
“[Aged] four or five I was on a proper board but it was a bit low and then about seven to eight, that’s when I started playing [at] the proper height and the proper length. So it’s just been all darts in my life so far.”
Talent is one thing, but having the right support system to nurture it is just as important.
The teen clearly thinks a lot of his parents, who he said were “proud” of what he had achieved so far.
“They just can’t believe [it], I can’t believe it myself,” he told Sky News during the world championships last year.
“But it’s just good to have a set of parents who are supportive and that are always there for me and I’ve got a good management team around me. So it’s just the best group of people that can be around me, to be honest.”
For coaches and friends who watched Littler play at St Helens Darts Academy in his early years, his rapid rise in the professional game is no surprise.
“He was averaging stupid averages that you should be [getting at] like 16 to 20 years old, but he was doing it at 10,” his former coach Karl Holden told Sky News.
“He was special then,” he added.
Eleanor Cairns, who has known the 17-year-old for five years and is also a darts player, told Sky News Littler has got a “natural throw” and showed natural talent “from the start”.
But she believes his success comes down to far more than just being gifted.
“I know he does a lot of practice for the competitions,” Ms Cairns said.
“Luke never really stops playing darts throughout the week either, so he’s definitely always throwing. It does take a lot, but I know he’s worked hard for it.”
Awards, fans and fame
Littler’s celebrity status has risen with every dart he’s thrown.
His Instagram account went from 4,000 followers at the start of last year’s tournament to over 450,000 by the final. Now it’s at 1.5 million.
Not only that – the teenager’s prize earnings have now topped £1m.
If he wins tonight, he’ll add £500,000 to his prize pot – and even if he loses he’ll get £250,000.
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His light-hearted interviews and extraordinary performances led to Littler being named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2024 last month, having been beat to the senior award by 800m runner Keely Hodgkinson.
Posting on X, Littler called the public’s recognition a “huge honour”.
“Support this year has been amazing and [I] want to say thank you to everyone who voted and sent messages,” he said.
The teenager admitted his life has drastically changed as a result of his success.
This time last year, he told Sky Sports his life had already changed.
“I’m doing interviews with Sky Sports. Usually I am up in the morning watching Sky Sports News. Now I am on the news. It’s all incredible. I am taking it all in my stride,” said Littler.
Now, he said it’s at a completely different level.
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Asked if he can walk down the street or go to the shop without being bothered, he laughed and told Sky Sports News: “Not really. Because it’s only a small town and you get spotted everywhere. But I don’t mind taking pictures and seeing all the fans.”
His career so far
It was his remarkable run to the world championship final last year which made Littler a household name, but his talent had been evident for some time.
He won the England Youth Grand Prix in 2019, became England Youth Open champion in 2021 and won his first senior title at the Irish Open later that year.
He won the Welsh Open in 2022 and in 2023 notched further senior titles at the Isle of Man Classic, Gibraltar Open, British Open and British Classic.
He was also back-to-back JDC World Champion and reigning World Youth Champion.
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But 2024 saw record-breaking success for Littler on the senior stage, seeing him become just the fourth player ever to win 10 trophies in a season.
Even he cannot quite believe how much he has achieved in his debut year, crediting his early victory at the Bahrain Masters, in which he hit a nine-darter, with spurring him on.
“I just wanted to win a few Pro Tours, but obviously winning Bahrain, the World Series, and then it was just European Tours, Pro Tours, and just all the titles I’ve picked up. It just goes to show how well I’ve been playing,” he told Sky Sports News at the end of November.
“It was good to win Bahrain, the first tournament of 2024. I’ve put my hands on it and I just had to build from it there and that’s what I’ve done.”
But he isn’t content with 10.
“I could potentially end the year on 11, couldn’t I? But yeah, I’ve set another record”, Littler said.
“I’ve put my name into the other players who have won 10 titles this year. But like I said, potentially it could be 11 by next year and I’ll try and break the record.
“I got the runner-up on my first go, but yeah, I’d like to win it… I think I can win it.”
Road to the final
After being exempt from the first round due to being seeded, Littler started the Alexandra Palace tournament with a surprisingly tough bout against Ryan Meikle in round two, recovering from a slow start to dominate the closing stages of the contest, wrapping up a 3-1 victory.
Next up was Ian White in round three, who gave the teenager another scare, forcing a tight opening set before winning the second. But Littler kept a cool head to eventually see his opponent off with a 4-1 win.
Round four saw a 4-3 thriller between Littler and Ryan Joyce, where the favourite never trailed, but was pushed to the limit by his unseeded opponent as he was repeatedly pegged back.
Littler then hit form, hitting 15 maximums against Nathan Aspinall in a 5-2 quarter-final win before thrashing 39-year-old Stephen Bunting 6 sets to 1 to set up the dream Van Gerwen finale.
Growing rivalry with Van Gerwen
This will be the 13th match-up between the two biggest faces in darts: Littler and Van Gerwen, having won six each in various competitions this year.
The head-to-head might look even, but there has been a stark contrast between the pair’s past 12 months; while Littler has won 10 titles, his Dutch counterpart failed to win a televised tournament in a calendar year for the first time since 2011.
The final is by far the most important meeting between the pair yet, as Van Gerwen, 35, seeks a fourth world title and Littler a first.
If Littler wins, he will also break Van Gerwen’s record as the youngest ever world champion, as the Dutchman won his first aged 24.
The 17-year-old believes time is firmly on his side to get that record wrapped up.
“Well, I know Michael van Gerwen holds the youngest at 24, so I’ve got seven years,” Littler told Sky Sports News.
“I could just slouch about for six years and then just win it when I’m 24.
“But no, I’d like to obviously win it before Michael won it. It’d mean everything. So to be the youngest, that’s definitely what I’d be looking for.”
Despite the jabs, there is no doubt huge respect between the pair.
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Asked about Van Gerwen, Littler said: “As I got older, I watched darts more and more. The first one [Van Gerwen match] I remember was the 2017 final when he beat Gary [Anderson].
“He’s been around for years and years and I’m sure he won’t change for anyone.”
Van Gerwen said of Littler: “I think he’s great. What he’s done for the sport is great. Fair play to him.
“Television and social media is big which helps him. It’s good for darts in general. I don’t mind.”
Coverage of the pair’s epic showdown begins live on Sky Sports from 7.30pm tonight.
