LUKE LITTLER was kicked out of his darts academy aged 13 - for simply being too good. The 17-year-old sensation became the sport's youngest world champion after beating Michael van Gerwen at Ally Pally. It came a year after losing in the final to Luke Humphries in what truly kicked off his meteoric ascent to the top of darts.
![[Luke Littler is darts world champion]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/every-second-media-alamy-live-961457670_9027fa.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
But Karl Holden - coach of St Helen's darts - was there to witness Littler's early start to greatness. And even on the stroke of becoming a teenager, Littler was too good to play against kids his own age. Holden told BBC Sport: "It might sound bad but we sort of got rid of him out of the academy.
![[Littler's first coach Karl Holden]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-karl-holden-littler-first-961325023.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
"He knows we didn't mean that in a nasty way. It was like, 'Don't come here no more. You're just too good.'. "When he was 13 he was just too good for the Under-21s. He was never going to achieve anything there so we was just saying, 'Go and beat all the men in the world.'".
![[Littler beat Michael van Gerwen in the final]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/luke-littler-celebrates-throwing-winning-961447208.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Littler has indeed gone on to defeat every man he's faced - including legends of the sport like Van Gerwen. READ MORE on all the fall-out from Luke Littler's incredible world title win... CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. And he even has his eyes on surpassing the great 16-time champion Phil Taylor.
Littler said: “I want to become one of the best of all time. It will take however many times. Phil Taylor won many. "I know Michael has won 100-plus titles. But for myself, I want to win as much as I can.”. He added: “Obviously, the World No1 could be on the cards this year. If Luke Humphries doesn’t defend all of his prize money.
