How 16-year-old Luke Littler turned the world of darts on its head

In the past fortnight, 16-year-old Luke Littler has achieved a feat which is limited to most grizzled darts veteran’s dreams. On Wednesday evening, Littler faces Luke Humphries in the final of the World Darts Championship — the most prestigious competition in the world. His remarkable journey to being one match from darts immortality has left shattered records and stunned past champions in his wake. Since his first-round match and debut on Dec. 20, he’s turned the sport on its head, become a national hero, navigating the spotlight all the way.

The efficiency, board management and accuracy made him the tournament favourite even before his semifinal against 2018 champion Rob Cross. But despite niggling thoughts that perhaps his stone-like confidence would finally slip, he swiped aside Cross 6-2 to secure a spot on dart’s greatest stage — and a check for at least £200,000 ($252,000) in the process.

The story has stretched way beyond darts. He’s on the front page of newspapers. He’s had football stars ask him for selfies and inviting him into their box at Premier League matches, he’s had good-will messages from Manchester United, visits at the venue from his beloved Warrington Wolves. But despite the blinding spotlight and hubbub around him, the minute he steps on to the stage at Alexandra Palace, he makes the board his own.

But this has been no fluke. This is no miracle. It’s down to a uniquely cultivated talent, a wonderful attitude and a confident innocence that has seen him dodge and weave through everything thrown at him on and off the stage. “I just wake up, play on my Xbox, have some food, have a chuck on the board, and go to bed — that’s it,” he said after his round-of-16 win. “I don’t engage with anything outside the house; I’m just level-headed.”

The record-breaking run started back on Dec. 20. His first-round victory over Christian Kist saw him break two records in the process — he became the youngest player to win a first round match at a World Darts Championship, with his 106.2 average the highest from a debutant. Every step he’s taken to the final saw him rewrite the darts records for the youngest player to achieve such a step. He’s also probably got one of the best beards ever seen on a 16-year-old, one he’s been cultivating for the past two years. But as he prepares for a final, those photos of him celebrating his first-round victory with his customary post-win kebab seem a lifetime ago (for the record, his order sees him dodge the chilli or garlic sauce, and instead opt for mayonnaise, lettuce in his doner wrap).

Those in the darts scene have known about Littler for a while, his story more widely well-told over the past couple of weeks. But a brief potted history harks back to Littler being born in Runcorn, starting to play darts aged 18 months on a magnetic dartboard, moving to Warrington with a love of football and rugby league but eventually focused on dominating the oche.

During lockdown he practiced and practiced and as the country blinked out of COVID-19 restrictions, he stamped his authority on the darts scene, taking his first seniors title in 2021 at the Irish Open and reached the third round of the WDF World Darts Championship in 2022. Back at youth level he took the 2022 JDC World Darts Championship but watched Michael Smith win last year’s World Championships from home in between Xbox sessions.

He came into this tournament as back-to-back JDC World Champion and as reigning World Youth Champion but with only four PDC wins to his name.

When he walked out onto the oche for his first round match, his goal was to win the first two rounds to ensure he would be coming back after the festive break. A second round win over Andrew Gilding ensured he’d return. On Christmas Day last year he switched off the Xbox and instead practiced darts, preparing for his third-round match against Matt Campbell against the backdrop of the crowd’s chant “You’ve got school in the morning!”

But a couple of days after he opened his presents under the family tree — a photo which in itself went viral — he’d dispatched Campbell in the third round 4-1, was a guest at Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham. Before the match bumped into Aaron Ramsdale and Declan Rice who wanted a photo with their new darts hero — both players fans of the sport with a dartboard in the changing room at their training ground. There were good luck messages from Manchester United duo Gary Neville and Jonny Evans.

He then dominated one of his darting heroes and five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 4-1 in the round of 16 on December 30 and the following day on New Year’s Eve he was James Maddison’s guest in his box for Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth. On Jan. 1, he woke up earlier than he wanted and beat Brendan Dolan 5-1 in the afternoon a slot — a player 34 years his senior — to reach the semifinals.

This included the most remarkable show of showmanship as he closed in on the first set. Locked at two legs apiece, Littler was faced with a 170 checkout — called the Big Fish — he hit both required treble 20s and then turned to the crowd and asked them what they wanted. All in the palm of his hand, they all shouted for the bull’s-eye. He missed, but closed out the set on his next return.

It’s been a whirlwind few days, and he’s learning fast about the blinding nature of the spotlight that comes with it. His Instagram followers have gone from 4,000 or so pre-tournament to 456k on the day of the final. He sold 900 sets of his own Luke “The Nuke” Littler darts sets after the first two rounds of the tournament — far more since then. But, he’s also felt the wrath of the flip side of social media. He drew criticism after being photographed holding a copy of The Sun, a newspaper boycotted by much of Liverpool — a city neighbouring his hometown, Runcorn. He apologised on his social media account.

The tale of a teenage prodigy breaking through into mainstream consciousness and stunning the established order back in their own sport is an engrossing narrative. After his win over Van Barneveld, the media at Alexandra Palace in London asked him about being the latest superstar youngster to turn a sport on its head, mentioning him in the same breath as the great Pelé when he broke through aged 17 to help Brazil to the 1958 World Cup, Mike Tyson who won the world heavyweight title aged 20 and then Boris Becker who took down Wimbledon aged 17 years and 228 days.

“I know Mike, I only know Pele off FIFA and I don’t know the other ones,” Littler told the reporters at the darts palace. “I have certainly broken the rules and records already, but I know if my game is there I can beat even more records.”

There are others such as Martina Hingis who won her first Grand Slam aged 16, while similarities to Wayne Rooney are hard to avoid. Then there are the Emma Raducanu comparisons as she entered the 2021 US Open as a qualifier and stunned tennis to win the whole tournament. But for every Becker or Pele, there are the other cautionary tales of prodigious youngsters who burnt out before their time.

Gary Anderson, the two-time world champion, made a point to the perils of young stardom earlier in the tournament.

“I’ve been downstairs and he’s got cameras, Zoom calls, meetings … Let the boy play darts,” Anderson said ahead of Littler’s match with Van Barneveld.

“He’s 16 years old and playing well. You’ve seen it a thousand times. Every year there’s a boy come through. You’ve not got a clue how many young darts players coming through the system who are the next big thing and then there’s the pressure on it and it all goes Pete Tong. We’ve seen it in the past.”

Littler admitted after the Dolan win that all the attention “does get a bit too much.”

“My life has already changed. At the Arsenal game the other day people were getting photos with me and that was even when I was putting my hood up. People were walking around in front of me asking for a picture. I was like: ‘What? I’ve got my hood up, I’m trying to hide.’ But it’s all good that people want pictures, I’m glad,” Littler said before the Dolan win. “My friends cannot believe what is happening.”

Which brought us to the semifinal against Cross. Littler looked shaky in the first set, losing that, but went from shaking his head in frustration to re-finding his rhythm and confident celebratory head bob as he opened a 3-1 lead, including a 142 checkout in the third set, and a 149 in the fourth. Despite Cross pinning him back to 3-2, Littler won the next two to give himself a comfortable 5-2 cushion, leaving him one set away from the final.

Nerves? Behave.

He opened the eighth with a 132 checkout of back-to-back bull’s-eyes and a double 16 and finished off the match with his favourite double 10. He threw an average of 106 — only Michael Van Gerwen, Anderson, Van Barneveld had averaged more in a semifinal. As the fireworks went off around him, there was a little shake of the head in disbelief, and as Cross hugged him, he told Littler how much he respects him and said “go on and do it.”

“No words,” Littler told Sky Sports after his semifinal win. “It’s crazy to even think I’m a world championship final on my debut. I was happy winning one game, but I can maybe go all the way. I’ve got no words. It’s crazy.”

What happens next for Littler after this fairy-tale fortnight is uncharted. He hasn’t got school in the morning, as he left that six months ago. He plans to spend some of his prize money on Xbox points, a couple of new Under Armour tracksuits, a coat and maybe a trip to a theme park with his pals. He’ll be a box office name wherever he goes on and off the stage, the darts Premier League beckons, and there will be lofty predictions for his trajectory and how many titles he can win. There will be the comparisons to darts great past and present like Phil “The Power” Taylor, who won 16 titles. For those chasing him, Littler will have a target on his back. His form and breakthrough will have put some noses out of joint in and around the board — those household names will want to restamp their authority on the sport.

But he’s now box office in UK sport, and even before his final on Wednesday evening against world No. 1 Humphries, he was clear favourite to win the 2024 Sports Personality of the Year award — an honour handed out next December, his name already pencilled in just three days into the New Year.

But all that can wait. Back to the routine.

On Wednesday he’ll have a lie-in. He’ll have his usual ham and cheese omelet for breakfast, he’ll go to the venue, do a bit of practice, have a pizza and then it’ll be into the blinding spotlight of the World Darts Championship final. The great Sid Waddell quote went “When Alexander of Macedon was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer. Eric Bristow is only 27.”

Littler is one step away from darts immortality just 18 days short of his 17th birthday. Maybe some of the prize money — £500,000 for the winner — will go on driving lessons.