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That catapulted him to stardom, making him
famous far beyond darts while lifting the sport into the
mainstream like in its heyday in the 1980s.
Littler handled the huge pressure and expectation on him to
return to the final 12 months later and powered 4-0 up in sets
against Van Gerwen, a darts phenom himself as a youngster and
with world titles in 2014, ‘17 and ’19.
The Dutchman made it 4-1, 5-2 and 6-3, but Littler could not be
stopped and he was reduced to tears after he made the winning
double.
“Wow, wow, wow,” he could be seen saying.
“At 2-0 up, I started getting nervous,” Littler said later, “but
I said to myself, ‘Relax.’ To get it over and done with is
special.”
Van Gerwen was previously the youngest world champion in the
elite Professional Darts Corporation competition, winning the
2014 final at age 24. Jelle Klaasen won the now-defunct British
Darts Organisation world title in 2006 at age 21.
Van Gerwen said losing his record “hurt” but was full of praise
for Littler.
“Every 17 years a star gets born,” Van Gerwen said, “and he is
one of them.”
Many were already wondering if Littler can reach Phil Taylor’s
remarkable record of 16 world titles. Claiming a first title at
age 17 will now super-charge that conversation.
“Luke Littler was forged into a winner, not just a great dart
thrower,” John Part, a three-time world champion from Canada,
told The Associated Press ahead of the world championship about
Littler challenging Taylor’s 16. “He was the best at each age
level he has gone through, so aware of how to win and he’s so
comfortable with it. He doesn’t feel pressure at all.”
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