Luke Littler burst into tears after his second round victory over Ryan Meikle at Alexandra Palace
Luke Littler is under remarkable pressure – a World Championship win would be phenomenal’
Luke Littler burst into tears after his second round victory over Ryan Meikle at Alexandra Palace – and the pressure he is under makes his success all the more impressive
After Luke Littler had closed out his second round match against Ryan Meikle in spectacular fashion, he became tearful and sought out his parents for a hug.
It was probably not just the relief of negotiating his first hurdle in the PDC World Championship that triggered Littler’s emotional reaction, the enormity of his year must surely have hit home.
Just over a week ago, Keely Hodgkinson was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. It was thoroughly deserved. But Littler, who was second in the voting, would have also been a worthy winner. Few British sportsmen or sportswomen have had as significant a 2024 as Littler. And if you wanted more confirmation that we are looking at a phenomenon, the last set of his 3-1 defeat of Meikle provided it.
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Littler needed only 32 darts to win the three legs, averaging a record-breaking 140.91. Only the wire around the double-12 stopped him recording a nine-darter in the second leg. And that would have been Littler’s FIFTH perfect game of the year – a feat no PDC player has achieved.
You would not back against Littler reaching that mark when he takes on Ian White in the third round at the Alexandra Palace on Saturday. Yet there is so much pressure on a sportsman who does not turn 18 until January 21.
A teenager has become responsible for taking a sport into a new era of popularity. And when you stand there alone on the biggest stage in that sport – one that requires nerveless precision – the pressure must surely take its toll. Hence the tears at the end of his victory over Meikle.
And perhaps Littler allowed himself a moment to reflect on a year which started with his jaw-dropping emergence at the PDC World Championship, where he reached the final 18 days shy of his 16th birthday. In last year’s event, he averaged 106.12, the highest for a debutant.
Since then, he has won ten PDC titles and has been a Premier League, a World Series and Grand Slam champion. He has won over £1million in prize money and, in 2024, was the most searched athlete on Google in the United Kingdom. And how has he done that? By being an ordinary lad with an extraordinary talent.
It is often said that, in sport, there is often too much focus on the personality, on showmanship, on so-called character. Littler is a nice young guy but he is certainly not flash. In the revival of the TV cult show Bullseye, in which he took centre stage, Littler looked a little awkward.
But he was not there to be flash, he was there because he is the talent that has prompted a resurgence of interest in the sport.
Of course, the focus on Littler will inevitably lead to the odd moment of frustration in other players. After all, Littler was beaten in last year’s final by Luke Humphries, the number one ranked player in the world. And Littler is only seeded fourth for this Championship.
