Tournament victory with a historic leg
Prodigy Luke Littler breaks all boundaries
January 19, 2024, 10:03 p.m
The 16-year-old prodigy Luke Littler is making darts history in Bahrain. He manages a spectacular nine-darter: nine arrows for 501 points. And he wins the tournament too. The defeated final opponent Michael van Gerwen warns against too much hype.
Luke Littler made a big impression in his World Series debut. A little more than two weeks after his sensational entry into the World Cup final, the British teenager made history: as the youngest player to manage a nine-darter in front of TV cameras. After the historic perfect leg – 501 points with nine arrows – in the quarterfinals, Littler went on to win the Bahrain Darts Masters two days before his 17th birthday. He is currently breaking all boundaries.
“Simply breathtaking from the 16 year old,” commented the Professional Darts Corporation on X, formerly Twitter. In the final, Littler beat former world champion Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman was still on stage trying to calm down the mega talent. “Everyone knows what he’s capable of,” said van Gerwen: “He’s a good player. Everyone has to learn not to push him too much. Give him his time.”
Haven’t thrown an arrow since the World Cup final
Until Friday, at just under 18 years old, Van Gerwen was also the youngest player to succeed in a nine-darter in front of TV cameras in 2007. “Nobody believes me, but I hadn’t thrown a dart since the World Cup final until yesterday,” Littler told ITV4. He was just very happy to have won on his debut. “It’s an incredible week.”
He didn’t really set any goals for this year. “I didn’t even think I would win this trophy,” said Littler. It wasn’t just the victory, it was above all the way in which he won the title at the tournament on the Bahrain International Circuit. Especially in the game against his compatriot Nathan Aspinall, when he only needed nine arrows to get 501 points. When Littler had done it, he spread his arms and looked at the roaring audience, laughing. His opponent, who was also defeated in the end, applauded with respect before congratulating Littler with a hug.
The darts prodigy celebrates his 17th birthday this Sunday. The giant talent’s next appearances include Wales and Germany, where the first stops of this year’s Premier League will take place in Cardiff (February 1st) and Berlin (February 8th).