16-year-old Luke Littler will still take home huge pay despite losing World Darts Championship final
Luke Littler has lost the PDC World Darts Championship to Luke Humphries.
The 16-year-old made history after earning himself a spot in the final after beating 2018 champ Rob Cross in last night's semi final (2 January), becoming the youngest person to ever do so.
But sadly, tonight wasn’t his night and he lost to Humphries, with the latter winning 7-4.
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The teen - dubbed ‘Luke the Nuke’ - has amassed an army of fans and become a household name after putting on a record-breaking performance throughout the tournament.
Coming into the competition, Littler was very much an outside bet and was ranked 164th in the world, but he made short work of his opponents in the run up to tonight’s final.
As well as Cross, Littler has previously seen off Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell and Brendan Dolan, as well as his very own hero Raymond van Barneveld - and he’s still not even old enough to buy a pint.
Despite not winning tonight, Littler, from Warrington, has already secured himself a tidy sum - earning £200,000 for reaching tonight’s final at the Alexandra Palace.
His previous highest prize came from his two payouts of around £27,500 during the Modus Super Series in Portsmouth.
Speaking after his impressive win last night, he said: “I haven’t got the words. It’s crazy. I have just settled on that stage.
“It has not even sunk in yet. I have surprised myself. I have just got to stay focused and be Luke Littler.
“I have got to be mature and be myself. It would be unbelievable if I won it, I only wanted to win one match.” Well, you’ve smashed that target, mate.
And Littler has already got plans for the cash - albeit pretty humble ones.
He told The Telegraph: “I always treat myself to some Under Armour tracksuits. And just get myself a new coat and get myself some Fifa points for my Xbox. That’s pretty much it.”
Littler, who turns 17 later this month, said that he would ‘love to start driving’ but as yet, hasn’t given much thought to what motor he fancies.
Although with £200,000 landing in his bank account soon, we can assume it’s probably not a second hand Ford Fiesta.
Littler started playing darts when he was just a toddler, and judging from a video found of him during that time, he wasn’t a bad player even then.
Although he didn’t manage to bring home the trophy tonight, it’s fair to say he’s won over the British public and is certainly one to watch in the future.
Topics: UK News, Money, Sport, Luke Littler
Claire Reid