Luke Littler is the new Darts world champion!
An incredible night of Darts!
Incredible Luke Littler etched his name into darting history with a crushing 7-3 victory over Michael van Gerwen to become the youngest ever PDC World Championship winner.
The 17-year-old was in unstoppable form as he raced into a 4-0 lead, and despite Van Gerwen getting three sets on the board, he never really threatened a comeback and was always in Littler's rear mirror.
Van Gerwen was the previous youngest champion when he won the first of his three world titles in 2014 aged 24, but darting phenomenon Littler smashed that record just as easily as he dealt with the Dutchman on the Alexandra Palace stage.
The Warrington teenager Littler managed an incredible average of just over 102 and threw 12 180s in a masterclass as he claimed the £500,000 first prize and lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time in his career.
Just looking at the way he handled the pressure of being the favourite and the style of his performances still three weeks short of his 18th birthday, it surely is just the first of many.
More reaction and analysis
Littler narrowly lost to Luke Humphries in last year’s final, but with the world number one bowing out in the fourth round this time, the trophy seemed well within reach.
Van Gerwen hasn’t been at his peak this season, yet facing a three-time champion in his seventh final was always going to be a stern challenge for the young contender.
That will go down as one of the iconic British sporting achievements 🎯 Luke Littler is world champion at 17, and the future is now his plaything ✍️Report from Ally Pally inews.co.uk/sport/luke-l...
— George Simms (@georgesimms.bsky.social) 3 January 2025 at 22:35
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However, Littler isn’t your typical darts player, and he showed no signs of buckling under pressure as he stormed to a 4-0 lead—helped in part by some wayward finishing from Van Gerwen.
The 35-year-old was scoring strongly but faltered on the doubles, either missing crucial shots or failing to get down to a finish, which left him with just three legs from the opening four sets.
Despite posting a 100 average and racking up 13 180s—one more than Littler—Van Gerwen’s 14 hits from 38 attempts on doubles simply weren’t enough to stop darts’ rising star from taking centre stage.
Might start watching darts more. That was superb. youtu.be/cLr_Vicm_yg?...
— European Super Football (@superfootball.bsky.social) 3 January 2025 at 22:41
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Another trophy to take home
In addition to winning the world title, Luke Littler has received the Ballon d'Art trophy for achieving the most 180s in the World Championship. This award was presented to him by Sir Chris Hoy. Littler scored a total of 76 maximums, which is 20 more than his nearest competitor, Michael van Gerwen.
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