At just 16 years of age, Luke Littler has made a sensational impact on the professional darts scene that will live long in the memories.
In his first PDC World Darts Championship, Littler, affectionately named 'The Nuke', blazed a trail all the way to the final, beating two former World Champions in the process. It was a meteoric run that didn’t quite have the fairytale ending for the youngest ever finalist, but this barely seemed to matter.
In a top class final of skill and action, Littler was beaten 7-4 by Luke Humphries, the world number one. But even Humphries himself, who admitted to “spoiling the party” despite his great triumph, admitted that Littler “will be a world champion”.
So, who is Luke Littler? How’s he shot to fame so rapidly? And what’s in store for him next?
Rising Through the Ranks
As a toddler, Littler was already showing an affinity for darts. Video footage reveals a very young Littler practising with a level of focus and technique unusual for his age.
Littler emerged on the competitive scene through the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC), which serves as a foundation and proving ground for young talent. Since 2019, Littler has been playing and winning major youth tournaments, plus a few open men’s events.
In November 2023, The Nuke won the PDC World Youth Championship by 6-4 against Gian van Veen, which earned him a place at the PDC World Championships.
The young darts prodigy is a talent like no other. His skill, poise and incredible composure are envied by seasoned professionals and embraced by live audiences. Littler shows no signs of being daunted by the high-pressure environment of top-tier competition. He’s mature, can build incredible three dart averages and finish with the best of them. In short, he’s got it all.
The Phenomenal Debut
Luke Littler's entrance into the professional darts scene was marked by a truly stunning performance at the PDC World Darts Championship.
His run to the final at the Alexandra Palace saw him beat Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell, Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan and Rob Cross in the semi-finals, with a stunning three dart average of 106.
Although Littler came unstuck in the final against the formidable Luke Humphries who averaged 103.67, he received a hero’s send-off, made history and left the stage with a cheque for £200,000. Importantly, missing out on the Sid Waddell Trophy gives Littler something to aim for moving forward.
Luke Littler 2023 PDC World Championship Stats
- Tournament Average: 101.6
- 100+ match averages: 5
- Highest average: 106.12 (R1)
- Lowest average: 92.65 (R2)
- Tournament 180s: 63
- Checkout percentage: 42.62%
- 100+ checkouts: 15
- Highest checkout: 170
What’s next for Luke Littler?
After his amazing escapades, Luke Littler is now a household name in the UK. As far as his career goes, it’s only just getting started. The darts world is his oyster.
As former player and darts commentator Wayne Mardle put it, “We're seeing the absolute start and very beginning of the journey for Luke Littler here. The world of darts has known about Luke Littler for a very long time and now the world knows about him. The secret is out!"
Premier League Darts
On the back of his unprecedented performance, Luke Littler has been invited to make his debut in the Premier League Darts.
Live on Sky Sports, Premier League Darts is a prestigious roadshow tournament running across the UK from February through to May. The event sees eight of the world’s best players going head-to-head over a 17 week period.
Taking part will be the top four players on the Order of Merit - Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall - plus four wild card players - Luke Littler, Michael Smith, Peter Wright and Rob Cross. It’s arguably one of the strongest Premier League Darts line-ups in history, with no fewer than six former world champions.
Each of the 17 events is a mini-tournament with a winner declared each night. Each match is a best-of-11 legs where the winner gets five points, the runner-up three points and the two losing semi-finalists two points. The bottom four get zero.
Over the course of 17 weeks, these points get added up in the Premier League table. At the end of night 16, the top four players in the table will make it through to the play-offs, which culminates on 23rd May at the O2 Arena in London. In 2023, Michael van Gerwen won his seventh Premier League title.
PDC World Championship 2024
If Littler goes from strength to strength this year, he’ll be eyeing up the next PDC World Championship at the Ally Pally starting in December 2025.
With youth clearly on his side, Littler has the time to gain experience and hone his raw talent on the pro tour. The only problem for him now is that the world will be watching and the pressure will be on.
However, if his performance at the world championships this year is anything to go off, The Nuke will take everything in his mature stride and live for the moment.
If he needs any inspiration, all he needs to do is look at Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor’s career.
Taylor lost his first final back in 1994 at the age of 34, before coming back the next year to take the crown. For Taylor, it was the start of two decades of pure domination. He went on to win 16 world titles before retiring in 2018 after losing to Rob Cross in Taylor’s 29th world championship appearance.
