Luke Littler is taking darts by storm as the 16-year-old has beaten some of the best players in the world to reach the world championship final.
Littler's emergence has turned heads in Europe, especially over the last week as the young darts player has gone toe to toe with the best in the sport and has swept them aside effortlessly.
Last night, the young darts player secured a dominant victory against 2018 world champion Rob Cross at Alexandra Palace in London to secure his place in tonight's final, per the BBC.
Littler will come up against the new world number one, Luke Humphries, who secured his spot with a commanding 6-0 win against Scott Williams.
Qualifying for the UK Open on his 16th birthday in January 2023, Littler made it to the fourth round in March, impressively reaching the last 16 by defeating five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld.
Littler's journey into darts began at an astonishingly young age, throwing his first dart at just 18 months old. Born in Runcorn and residing in Warrington, Littler has been playing "non-stop" since then, quickly outgrowing age categories due to his exceptional talent.
Former coach Karl Holden, from the St Helens Darts Academy, attests to Littler's talent, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "By the time he was 10, we knew he was too good for his age."
Having finished his GCSEs just last summer, Littler is now fully focused on his darting career. After defeating Andrew Gilding in the second round, he celebrated with a "kebab and a can of Tango" and has since been offered free kebabs for life by a London kebab house.
Littler was ranked joint-164th before the World Championship, and his magical run is set to elevate him more than 100 places in the rankings. A tournament win would see him closing in on the top 10.
Something that the youngster can't escape is the conversations about how he doesn't look his age, and social media has been filled with it.
"That’s the oldest 16 year old I’ve ever seen," one viewer said, while a second added: "He looks like he’s 28 with 2 kids and mortgage."
All the conversations about him don't appear to have impacted Littler at all, as he has not only made history by reaching the final but has also earned a substantial £200,000 ($252,000) for his remarkable progress in the tournament. If he manages to clinch the title, he stands to pocket an impressive £500,000 ($631,000).
All eyes will be on the final tonight (January 3), to see if the 16-year-old can finish off this incredible story in the best way possible.
