The Luke Littler era has officially begun – and it goes well beyond darts
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The 17-year-old completed his coronation as King of the Palace by beating Michael van Gerwen and the sky is now the limit for one of sport’s greatest-ever teenagers. Whether he beat or lost to Michael van Gerwen on the Alexandra Palace stage on Friday night, Luke Littler was always going to leave his second World Darts Championship as a winner. After all, he is the catalyst for and the face of the ongoing darts boom – all as a 17-year-old.
![[Luke Littler celebrated winning his first world title at the expense of Michael van Gerwen]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/03/22/SEI234867974.jpg)
As it happened, Littler rubber-stamped his status as a generational talent and completed his coronation as King of the Palace by taking his first world title in ruthlessly impressive fashion. From a break of throw in the opening leg of the match, to a 11-darter when he smelt weakness in the second set, to a 4-0 lead that turned into a crushing 7-3 triumph thanks to a 102.73 average and a superb 56 per cent success rate on the doubles, Littler dismantled the three-time world champion.
![[It was a contrast to 12 months ago when Littler watched Luke Humphries celebrates with the trophy]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/01/04/09/DARTS%20World%20%2023293913.jpg)
It was brutal, it was exhilarating to watch and raised questions about just how high the ceiling is for this unstoppable darting teenager. “I know where I went wrong last year, I’m sure I’ll fix it,” Littler had matter-of-factly stated ahead of the final. And, boy, did he.
![[Littler looks set to dominate darts]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/03/22/SEI234867909.jpg)
Twelve months ago, as a 16-year-old, he led Luke Humphries 4-2 in the showpiece and missed a dart at double two to extend that advantage to 5-2. Instead, Humphries snatched the seventh set and roared past his young opponent to triumph 7-4 and win a first world title of his own – teaching the teen a lesson about the fine margins in elite sport.
![[Littler is now a world champion at the age of 17]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/03/22/SEI234867874.jpg)
