From the darkness to the throne
The darts world champion with the sad story
January 4, 2024, 7:47 p.m
The present belongs to Luke Humphries, after an arduous journey and thoughts of the end of his career, he is crowned darts world champion. But he doesn’t know how long he will be at the top of the scene. Of all people, the defeated opponent in the final is considered the man of the future.
At the moment of his greatest triumph, darts world champion Luke Humphries thought directly about the future – and about super talent Luke Littler. After thoroughly enjoying the colorful confetti shower at Alexandra Palace and hoisting the 25-kilogram Sid Waddell Trophy several times, Humphries first raved about his 16-year-old opponent, full of his own feelings of happiness.
“He’s going to dominate darts. He’s an incredible player. He’s an incredible talent. I had to win this today because Luke will win a lot of them in the future, I’m sure,” Humphries said in London. His 7:4 final victory after a temporary deficit of 2:4 was an advertisement for the sport of darts: high-class, entertaining and varied.
“I had a lot of problems”
The future may belong to super talent Littler, but the man of the hour is “Cool Hand Luke”, as Humphries is called: world champion for the first time, a hefty check of 500,000 pounds (almost 600,000 euros) and after a dream season with a huge lead as Number one in the world in 2024. The 28-year-old Humphries has had perfect months – after a long journey that led him to the top.
“I’m world champion, I can hardly believe it. It’s even more unbelievable for me, especially from a mental point of view. Because there was a phase in my life when I was very depressed. I had a lot of problems,” Humphries described the biggest stage in the world, which he once no longer wanted to set foot on. At this stage he couldn’t imagine getting this far.
Humphries’ double chin disappears
A few years ago, the darts professional spoke openly about the topic of mental health and his problems with it. “I think it’s important that awareness is raised. That people speak up a little more and don’t be afraid to raise the issue of mental health. That’s the best thing that can come from this.” Humphries argued. He once admitted that he even had panic attacks during games on stage and suffered from an anxiety disorder.
Since then, the Englishman has not only stabilized massively mentally, but has also changed a lot visually. The photo of the finalists from four years ago that circulated before the World Cup final shows Littler as a slim twelve-year-old child and Humphries as a chubby one. In fact, there is nothing left of the unathletic-looking Englishman with a double chin. Humphries now looks wiry and athletic, which is no coincidence.
“I won’t eat anything too heavy or unhealthy because I’ve built my life over the past few years on feeling good and eating the right things,” he said. Rival Littler, on the other hand, described his eating ritual at the World Cup as follows: a ham and cheese omelet in the morning, then a pizza and, as a reward after victories, a kebab, which he was asked about after almost every encounter during the tournament in London.
More than three times as much prize money
He doesn’t believe that Humphries will have such an impact on darts as Phil Taylor or Michael van Gerwen did for a long time. “I will never be able to dominate like that, the sporting world has changed too much,” said Humphries, referring to the competition. He may be right, but his past three months have been quite frightening for the competition: titles at the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam of Darts, the Players Championship Finals and now the World Cup. Humphries earned more than three times as much prize money as any other professional in 2023.
But he was also lucky twice at the World Cup. Humphries was almost out against the German Ricardo Pietreczko (4:3) and compatriot Joe Cullen (4:3). He saved himself in dire need and benefited from the weaknesses of his two opponents. “He deserves this title,” said the disappointed Littler, who was hugged for a long time on stage by the new world champion.