Don’t be fooled by his youthful face and unathletic body. Darts in hand, Luke Littler is a moth. A genius too. But above all a champion, already, at only 18 years old. It’s quite simple: in three appearances at the World Championships, the Englishman has only lost once, in the final of the 2024 edition. Winner last year, he is still in the running this year, and will start as the big favorite in his semi-final this Friday against Ryan Searle.
The native of Runcorn, in the west of England, is made of a different wood. Monday, in the round of 16 against former world champion Rob Cross, he proved it by braving the boos from the public at Alexandra Palace in London to win at the end of a very high level game. “You don’t bother me. You pay my prize money with your tickets, thank you,” he then exclaimed.