LUKE LITTLER’S major decision back in 2023 has changed the course of his life completely.
The 17-year-old became world champion last night thanks to his 7-3 dismantling of Michael van Gerwen at Alexandra Palace.
But that may not have happened if he hadn’t decided to take a crack at the 2024 World Championship 12 months ago, a decision that was made off the back of a silly prediction.
Old footage from Littler’s Modus Super Series efforts in 2023 show the teenager discussing his decision to turn down the Lakeside WDF Darts Championship in favour of taking a crack at the World Championship instead.
The Nuke was quizzed on why he made the decision to play at the Ally Pally competition instead of the WDF tournament.
Speaking before he burst onto the scene and earned his PDC Tour Card, Littler predicted that it could be his only chance to play in front of the crowd at Ally Pally – a prediction that has turned out to be completely wrong.
He said: “It’s one of them where it’s on Sky Sports. Playing in front of a crowd at Ally Pally may never happen again.
“So I’ve taken the opportunity to actually play there”.
Littler’s decision saw him capture the hearts of the nation and go all the way to the 2024 World Darts Championship final, heartbreakingly losing to Luke Humphries.
That run earned him £200,000, a spot in the Premier League line-up and a run of form that saw him pocket over £1MILLION in prize money in 12 months.
While his return to the Palace this year saw him go one step further and lift the Sid Waddell trophy, earning another £500,000 in the process.
Had Littler not taken the leap to play in the 2024 tournament then he may not have had the whirlwind year that won him the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Stunned Luke Littler makes history by winning World Darts Championship aged just 17″ embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6366667979112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]While victory in the Boys category of the WDF Worlds would have only earned him just £5,000 in comparison to the huge pay days he’s won since his decision to jump in at the deep end.
It’s safe to say that it’s that humble attitude that had been a huge reason behind Littler’s success in the last year.
And even after winning the World Championship last night, the teen couldn’t believe what he had achieved.
He told Sky: “I can’t believe it. Honestly. I can’t believe it.
“We both played so well. I knew I needed to get off to a great start, and that’s what I did.
“Michael was right behind me the whole game.
“Everyone dreams of lifting this trophy. So it really is a dream come true.”
