Darts sensation Luke Littler, 16, ‘focused’ ahead of World Darts Championship final
Luke Littler reacts during his World Darts Championship semifinal. Zac Goodwin/AP CNN —
He was relatively unknown just a few weeks ago, but Luke Littler is now on the verge of winning a historic title at the World Darts Championship.
The 16-year-old has become a global star since making his tournament debut this year, with the teenage sensation continuing to defy the odds by beating opponents with decades’ more experience.
He now faces fellow Englishman Luke Humphries in Wednesday’s final, where he has the chance to become the youngest player to ever win the title.
“I’ve got no words,” Littler told reporters after beating former world champion Rob Cross in the semifinals on Tuesday.
“I can’t even imagine lifting that trophy yet though. I’ve just got to stay focused, relax and be Luke Littler.”
His performances at this year’s competition have catapulted Litter into a different stratosphere, where he’s had to quickly learn to deal with the pressure that comes with being the man of the moment.
Go on social media and you’ll do well to avoid mention of Littler, who has infatuated the general public with his laid back style and wonderfully normal approach to life.
Talk of Littler celebrating his wins with kebabs has endeared himself to the masses and he’s seemingly taking it all in his stride.
When asked how he was going to prepare for Wednesday’s final, he told Sky Sports it would be business as usual.
“I’ll do what I’ve been doing. In the morning, go for a ham and cheese omelette, then come here have a pizza and then practice on the board,” he said.
Speak to those in the darts world and they knew Littler had potential to compete at this level, but very few, including Littler himself, could ever have imagined him being one win away from lifting the trophy at this stage of his career.
Route to the final
It all started with a first round victory against Christian Kist, where Littler produced a memorable display to brush aside his Dutch opponent in straight sets.
It was impressive, yes, but few thought the world junior champion could keep up that high level of darts as the tournament progressed.
But the Littler steam train kept on chugging away and Andrew Gilding was the next player to be defeated.
The win ensured Littler would return to the tournament after the brief Christmas break, where the youngster reverted back to being a normal 16-year-old
“To be honest, it was just Xbox and more Xbox,” he told reporters when asked how he spent his Christmas.
After the break, attention had started to ratchet up around the youngster. A straight sets victory against Matt Campbell in the third round raised eyebrows and secured an encounter with darts legend Raymond van Barneveld.
The Dutch veteran is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and was Littler’s hero growing up. But the teenager had no time for sentiment, dispatching the 56-year-old with relative ease to cement himself as a real contender for the title.
The quarterfinals then brought a matchup with Brendan Dolan, but Littler wasted little energy in bulldozing his way past the Northern Irishman. The match was the most watched quarterfinal in the tournament’s history on Sky Sports, with a peak audience of 1.4 million.
Littler has become a firm fan favorite during this year’s tournament. Zac Goodwin/AP
Undeterred by the noise and excitement building, Littler then kept his cool to produce arguably his best performance to date, beating 2018 champion Cross in a match of world class quality.
According to Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) chairman Eddie Hearn, the semifinal was watched by a record 2.32 million people.
“It would be unbelievable to win this title. I set myself the target to win one game and be back after Christmas, and I’m still here,” Littler said.
Speak to Littler away from the stage and he’s just like any other teenager. He was softly-spoken when interviewed by CNN Sport ahead of his third round match, just giddy at all the attention he was receiving on social media.
But when in front of a board with darts in his hand, Littler transforms into a machine, mature beyond his years and fearless in front of the boisterous Alexandra Palace crowd.
“I love it,” he said. “People are chanting, necking beers, it’s crazy. It’s hard to focus, they are chanting your name, but you have to keep it out of your head and somehow have to focus.”
He now has one more opponent to beat, but Humphries will arguably prove his toughest test to date.
The 28-year-old recently became the world No. 1 after thrashing Scott Williams 6-0 in his semifinal, and Humphries said he was now fully focused on Wednesday’s “massive” opportunity.
“I needed to put in a statement performance because Luke [Littler] was fantastic tonight. Every aspect of my game was as I wanted it to be, and it’s such a special moment,” he told reporters after his semifinal win.
“Becoming world number one is something you can only dream of as a kid, but tomorrow would stay with me forever if I become World Champion, so my mind is fully focused on that.”