Darts prodigy Luke Littler
17-year-old becomes youngest darts champion
Luke Littler won his first world title at the age of 17. In the final in London he defeated Michael van Gerwen 7:3.
17-year-old Luke Littler made sporting history at the World Darts Championship in London. In the final of the prestigious tournament on Friday evening, the teenager from Warrington defeated three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen (35) 7-3 and became the youngest player ever to secure the world title.
Dominant performance in the final
From the start, the 17-year-old showed an impressive performance at the legendary Alexandra Palace (Ally Pally). With a furious 4-0 start, he gave the Dutch favorite no chance. Even though the experienced van Gerwen came close again in the meantime, Littler kept his nerve and brought home the historic triumph. “I can’t believe it. Honestly, I can’t believe it,” the new champion cheered after his sensational victory.
the numbers underline Littler’s outstanding performance: With an average of 102.73 points, he was well ahead of van Gerwen (100.69). The youngster was also significantly more accurate in the double fields with a rate of 56 percent than his opponent (37 percent). In total he took twelve 180 shots.
“A star is born every 17 years”
“Everyone dreams of winning this trophy, but you have to fight through a strong field to achieve it,” said a humble Littler after his triumph. His defeated opponent van Gerwen also paid respect to the new champion: “He took advantage of every chance he had to hurt me. A star is born every 17 years – and he is one of them.”
The success is no coincidence for Littler, who threw his first darts at the age of 18 months. Last season he won ten tournaments and was also one of the favorites at the World Cup.
For his triumph he will receive prize money of 500,000 pounds (the equivalent of around 602,250 euros). British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (62) congratulated the youngster on an “inspiring performance” and emphasized: “You can be really proud of what you have achieved tonight – not just for yourself, but for the entire sport of darts. “
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Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
