LONDON :Seventeen-year-old sensation Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler thrashed Michael van Gerwen 7-3 on Friday to become the youngest ever PDC darts world champion and bank a 500,000 pound ($621,600) winner’s cheque.
The duel for the biggest prize in darts, in front of 3,200 rowdy fans in fancy dress, ended in a crushing defeat for three times winner Van Gerwen, 35, in his seventh final at North London’s ‘Ally Pally’ Alexandra Palace.
“I can’t believe it. Honestly, I can’t believe it,” gasped the teenager, tears in his eyes.
The phenomenon, whose meteoric rise started by throwing magnetic darts as a toddler, had finally achieved the dream after losing 7-4 last year in a final that made him a household name.
“We both played so well. I said in my interviews, I needed to get off to a quick start tonight and that’s what I did.
“Everyone dreams of lifting this trophy but you’ve got to get through a tough field.”
Littler took a cagey opening set and then found his rhythm with two quick 180s to go 2-0 up, winning six of the first seven legs, as Van Gerwen’s finishing touch failed him and he grimaced in frustration.
Van Gerwen, who will walk away 200,000 pounds richer as runner-up, won the opening leg of the third set but it proved a false dawn as an implacable Littler raced 4-0 clear with a bullseye finish.
The Dutch ‘Green Machine’, who set the previous record for youngest world champion as a 24-year-old in 2014, showed he was still in the fight by taking the fifth set but the comeback faltered.
Littler, hand steady and gaze unwavering, fired in quick back-to-back 180s to take the opening leg of the sixth and then banged in two more maximum scores to secure the set and forge 5-1 up.
Van Gerwen raised his game to pull back to 5-2 but Littler, who ended the tournament with the most 180s, whitewashed the next set to restore his advantage to 6-2.
Another set to the Dutchman only postponed the inevitable as Littler, who turns 18 on Jan. 21, romped through the final set to get his hands on the mighty Sid Waddell Trophy.
The pent-up emotion was finally released by two bullseyes and a double 16 to check out.
“I learnt a lot last year,” he said as the celebrations died down. “Earlier today I watched all of the (2024 final) game back against Luke (Humphries) and I had the visions.
“I could end 2025 winning absolutely nothing (more) but I’ve picked up one of the best.”
Van Gerwen said he had not done himself justice, and it hurt, “but that’s the way it is.
“Fair play to him. Every chance he got, every moment he had to hurt me, he did it.
“I sometimes say every 17 years a star gets born and he’s one of them.”
($1 = 0.8044 pounds)
