World Darts Champion at just 17 years old, the prodigy with nerves of steel Luke Littler has captured the hearts of his British compatriots, charmed by the rise of this teenager who loves kebabs and video games.
On Friday, the English “Prince” defeated the Dutch “King” Michael van Gerwen and his three crowns (2014, 2017 and 2019) in the electrifying atmosphere of Alexandra Palace in London, becoming the youngest winner of the World Championship. World of Darts, that much-loved British pastime.
Moved to tears, he raised the trophy in front of hundreds of cheering fans, most of them in disguise. “I can’t believe it,” he repeated, still in disbelief.
This young bearded champion in a purple polo shirt is no longer the unknown who surprised everyone by reaching last year’s final at just 16 years old.
At the time, the teenager had barely played a few professional matches and was ranked a modest 164th in the world in this pub-favorite sport, followed mainly in the Anglo-Saxon world.
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Now Littler shares TV studios with Hollywood stars, his exploits scrutinized, analyzed and highlighted by Sky Sports, delighted at the exposure such a phenomenon brings.
Just a year ago, his final against Luke Humphries was the most-watched sporting event, outside of football, in the English channel’s 34-year history, with 4.8 million viewers.
And the next day, the media only had eyes for Luke “The Nuke,” despite his defeat.
– Baby Shooter –
With his skill and precision, the young shooter from the north of England amazed fans of these crazy and heavily alcoholic tournaments.
When the United Kingdom discovered him in early 2024, he also created a sensation with his humor and frankness, revealing a lifestyle radically different from that of a professional athlete.
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“I don’t get up until noon, I eat my cheese and ham omelette, then a pizza, and I work out,” he said, between two video game sessions.
Impressively calm during his matches, the champion threw his first dart at just 18 months old, and home videos show he was still playing in a diaper.
“At ten he was already a lot stronger” than others his age, his former coach at the St Helens darts academy, Karl Holden, recalled to the BBC.
A resident of Warrington, between Manchester and Liverpool, Littler has attracted the sympathy of many sporting figures, benefiting from the support of sponsors such as Xbox, his favorite consoles, and now has more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram.
– Kebab et Disney World –
After winning ten trophies last year and being sought after more online than the British king or prime minister, he was named the BBC’s Young Sportsman of the Year 2024.
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On the occasion, the remarkably built teenager expressed his joy at having helped “change this sport,” with the number of junior academies having doubled since his rise.
Faced with rumors regarding his age, some British media even published photos of his birth certificate, confirming that Littler was indeed born on January 21, 2007.
English, who still has to be officially accompanied by an adult to go to the pub, is now fully dedicated to the sport. According to Forbes magazine, he would have earned nearly 1.5 million dollars (1.46 million euros) before taxes in 2024 thanks to tournaments and sponsorships.
After his previous final, he made it clear that he would not change his life and would always settle for “a kebab and a can of Tango,” a soft drink, after a victory.
However, British media reported that the teenager had moved into a more comfortable home with his family and that they had planned a long-awaited trip to Disney World in Florida.
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