Luke Littler said he has emerged “bigger than the winner” despite losing the darts world championship final as the 16-year-old credited his meteoric rise to his tenacity during lockdown.
Littler was defeated by Luke Humphries, the world No 1 darts player, in a nail-biting finale at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night after a winning streak that generated unprecedented media attention and public interest in a sport generally considered niche.
Despite his loss, many think the tournament’s real star was the teenager from Warrington – and speaking to reporters on Thursday, Littler said he agrees. “It’s unbelievable, it’s crazy to think the runner-up is bigger than the winner,” he said.
“I was going into the game [thinking that] in a win or lose situation, I was always going to come out happy. It was a bit gutting standing there on my own watching Luke [Humphries] lift the trophy but he deserved it.
“He was the better man on the night, but I’m happy with runner-up. I was happy with winning one game, but getting to the final was just the bigger bonus.”
Littler said he believes the secret to his early success was continuing to play during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when many other young people gave up due to rows over webcam cheating.
“I just tended to practise on my own for hours and hours a day, so I came out of lockdown and started winning youth titles and a few men’s titles. So what I was doing online on the cameras, I proved I wasn’t a cheat, because some people were, but I’m glad to get where I am now and all the practice paid off.”
Playing big names such as Simon Whitlock and Damon Heta in an online Australian tournament during lockdown was the moment in which he realised he had a special talent, which he described as his “one and only” gift.
Littler said he has nurtured his darts ability since he was just 18 months old, coming from a family of darts fanatics. “My brother was actually as good as me, at one point he was better than me. When lockdown hit, he stopped playing but he’s trying to get back into it. It’s good to see him falling back in love with the game.”
While he has relished growing his Instagram fanbase from 4,000 to 700,000 and getting personal messages from his favourite sport stars, including a direct good luck message from Gary Neville, Littler said he was less comfortable with other aspects of the media frenzy.
“When I look on Facebook and someone’s tagged me in, saying there’s people round my house, it doesn’t look good does it. It should die down – I hope it dies down – I just want to go home with nobody around my house or anything, but it is what it is,” he said.
A record audience of more than 4.8 million people tuned in to watch the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship final on Wednesday, with a peak audience of 3.71 million – the highest ever non-football peak on Sky Sports. Littler has been fast-tracked into the darts’ Premier League as a result.
The teenager said he thinks the sport’s accessibility and social side explain its enduring appeal. “Theres’s so many academies up and down the UK, so plenty of opportunities for people to make friends and have fun. It’s good the game’s getting bigger because of what I’m doing and I’m proud to get young kids on the board and enjoying the game,” he said.
While he acknowledged his life has changed for ever, Littler said he is looking forward to escaping the “chaos”, taking a hard-earned break and going on holiday for a week, though he plans to resume his training after that.
Pundits have been surprised to learn that the sports star practises for less than an hour a day, otherwise he “gets bored”. But he has no plan to change. “Just keep it all the same, whatever is working, it’s working. Don’t change if it’s not broke,” he said.
“I’ve lost and you can only come back stronger after a loss, and that’s what I’ve got to do – come back bigger, better and stronger.”
