Luke Littler becomes the youngest world darts champion at 17

Luke Littler became the youngest world champion in darts history on Friday when the 17-year-old Englishman lived up to his billing as Britain's latest sporting superstar.

Littler beat three-time champion Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final at a boisterous Alexandra Palace in London.

''Everyone dreams of lifting this trophy,'' said Littler, who also took the winner's check of 500,000 pounds ($620,000). ''I can't believe it.''

It completes the remarkable rise of Littler, a prodigy from Warrington in northwest England who first threw a dart as an 18-month-old toddler, was junior world champion in 2023 and reached the world final last year — at age 16 — before losing to top-ranked Luke Humphries.

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.''

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports