Luke Littler is in the World Cup final just like last year. The 17-year-old phenomenon defeated crowd favorite Stephen Bunting in the semi-finals with an average of 105. There is only one person standing between him and lifting that coveted trophy. That is not the least. If the young Englishman wants to be crowned world champion, he will have to get past Michael van Gerwen, who is keen on a fourth world title. “I don’t feel any pressure,” says Littler.
2024 was without a doubt the year of confirmation for Luke Littler. The 17-year-old has swept aside any doubts that may have remained after last year’s final place. He won the Premier League, the World Series Finals and the Grand Slam. The icing on the cake would be that world title. After winning the semi-final, the press conference was of course only about one thing: Michael van Gerwen.
No pressure
“I don’t feel any pressure. I’m sure Michael would have said the same thing. I’m just going to enjoy it. If I get off to a fast start like tonight and win the first set, I will be happy. If I don’t succeed, I will come back on stage and try to change things,” the Englishman said.
If we compare the numbers of the two tenors, Littler seems to be the slight favorite for the title. He threw 51 180s during the World Cup, while Van Gerwen recorded 35 maximum scores. The Littler’s average of 101.08 is also slightly higher than the Dutchman’s 100.04. Only Van Gerwen’s checkout percentage is better than that of Luke Littler: 44.3% compared to 40.0%. “I haven’t really seen what Michael van Gerwen’s average is or what he has done on doubles. I have only seen the 180’s and I am well ahead of that, but I have to focus on tomorrow to do everything right.”
Duel of generations
The final will also be a duel of generations. When Van Gerwen played his first World Cup final, Littler was five years old. So he doesn’t remember much about that anymore. “I think the first Van Gerwen final I remember was in 2017, where Gary Anderson could have won for the third time in a row. It’s been a few years since he won, so he’ll definitely be keen on it tomorrow, but so will I.”
Some players occasionally seem intimidated by the Dutchman, but Luke ‘The Nuke’ is not worried about that: “I don’t think darts players should focus on Michael van Gerwen. He does what he does. He has been around for years and I am sure he will not change for anyone.”
Littler is also a bit superstitious. For example, last year he did not want to touch the cup during the photo shoot for the final against Luke Humphries. “No, I didn’t touch him. Not now either. Just like I didn’t do that with the Premier League. I only touch it when I win it.” So we have to wait until tonight to see whether the young darts player can now touch the Sid Waddell trophy.
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