He ruled in the fish
There are a few people who never quite make it onto the sports personality trophy lists. I suspect Luke will be one of them. He did something last night that should be shouted about from the highest towers of the BBC but the numpties are giving the headlines to our second rate cricketers (second to the Aussies).
So let me right the wrong, Luke Littler last night showed he is the best darts player in the world by a distance and at 18 one of the greatest young sports people this country has ever been able to be proud of.
Last night, he beat the second best darts player at Ally Pally 7-1 having lost the first set as he had done when beating one of the four best players 6-1. Here is Littler reported by the BBC after the final last night.
He beat the 23 year old Gian van Veen, he beat the wasp and he landed the Big Fish at the end of the 3rd set.
Luke Littler has conquered the world of darts. Again.
If last year was Littler proving he could do it, this year was the 18-year-old showing he could not be stopped.
It was domination from first to last. Just four sets dropped across the entire tournament, with any perceived blips or wobbles not really worthy of the name.
Littler’s demolition job on Gian van Veen was his final flourish, his masterpiece at a World Championship in which he made brilliance look effortless.
Unstoppable. That was the word put to him time and again as he sat patiently, Sid Waddell Trophy in tow, at his post-final news conference.
Littler would not bite. “At times, I am unstoppable” was as close as he came to accepting it.
Well, with two world titles and a final defeat in three visits to Alexandra Palace, and 10 major titles to his name already, it seems those times come pretty frequently.
“It’s what dreams are made of,” Littler said.
“Nothing will ever beat a first world title – for anyone, in any sport, because that’s the first time you’ve done it. But this was all about retaining it.
“To go back-to-back feels amazing.”
The bad news for his competitors is he is only just getting started.
His hunger for success has not diminished and winning is certainly not getting old for the teenager.
“I want to dominate everything, I want to try to win everything,” he said.
Littler is winning in style as well, with his 106.02 average the sixth-highest in a PDC world final and the highest since 2018.
It is Phil Taylor who sets the benchmark with a ludicrous 110.94 in his 2009 win over Raymond van Barneveld, and “The Power” has another two of the three above Littler.
But “The Nuke” is more than capable of matching such numbers.
“It’s a ridiculous standard that he continues to do,”
five-time World Championship semi-finalist Wayne Mardle told Sky Sports.
“His tournament average was 104 and if you just imagine someone doing that every game and the standard you have to play at to beat that.
“When he has this ‘off’ game, he had one that was a 97 average, that is what we’re getting at. That is how ‘badly’ he has played that game and it’s still world class.
“He’s a magnificent talent and right up there with Taylor and Van Gerwen.”
Littler’s domination has only ever been matched by Taylor and Van Gerwen in their primes, but whereas the former’s spell as the undisputed number one lasted two decades, the latter’s was much shorter.
There is nothing needing to be said, edited highlights can be watched.
World Darts Championship: Luke Littler vs Gian van Veen highlights https://t.co/Ldr5mg0PKG Wonderful stuff from the Ally Pally!
— Henry Tapper (@henryhtapper) January 4, 2026
