At 18 years old, the pressure is slipping on him. The importance of the event, the stress of the stakes, the screams of the public, nothing bothers him. This Saturday, darts prodigy Luke Littler retained his World Championships title. Barely an adult, the Englishman became the 4th man in history to be crowned twice in a row. An exceptional feat, worthy of his talent.
His entire tournament was a demonstration. Before this final, the world No. 1 had only lost three short sets in six matches. Enough to be particularly serene. “He is calmer than ever. He’s downstairs finishing his margherita pizza, he’s ready,” said Youtuber Andryginge, Luke Littler’s best friend, before the finale.
However, he had not faced an opponent of the caliber of Gian Van Veen, new world No. 3 and who had claimed the scalps of two ex-world champions in the previous rounds, Luke Humphries and Gary Anderson. Despite the pressure, the Dutchman started extremely well, winning the first set thanks to the opportunity left by Luke Littler, who missed three darts to win this set.
Only one defeat in three years at the Worlds
An excellent start, but already the beginning of the end. Because the Englishman left nothing afterwards. Despite getting off to a bad start, he responded and took the 2nd set despite a set dart for Gian Van Veen. He then accelerated the pace and raised his level by completing the 3rd set with a superb big fish (an end of the round at 170, the highest possible) and a Dantesque celebration, fake fishing rod in hand.
Luke Littler was untouchable, and he never gave up. The following three sets, won with disconcerting ease and a stratospheric level of play, brought him a little closer to the Holy Grail and the million pounds sterling promised to the winner (6-1). With 16 ends at 180 (the maximum) against 9 for his opponent and an average over three darts of 106.02 (99.94 for Van Veen), victory easily came to him. With, as a bonus, a final finish at 147.
At 18, the English prodigy is making history even further. In three participations in the Worlds, he lost only one match. It was in the final of the 2024 edition, at only 16 years old. The youngest player on the circuit, international star and figurehead of a sport on the rise, he continues to crush the competition. And nothing and no one seems able to stop it.
