When Luke Littler arrived in north London last December, many in the darting world were aware of his prodigious talent, but few could have envisaged the global headlines he would create.
The Warrington wonderkid lifted the World Youth Championship title just weeks prior to his World Championship exploits, having also claimed five Winmau Development Tour titles earlier in the year.
However, Littler elevated his game to another level on the sport’s biggest stage, sweeping aside four televised title winners in a groundbreaking run that captured the imagination of the sporting world.
Littler overcame Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell, Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan and Rob Cross in his fairy-tale run to the final, shattering a host of records along the way.
The teenage trailblazer averaged 106 in wins over Kist and Cross, but it was his last 16 victory against his darting idol Van Barneveld which confirmed his status as a genuine darting superstar.
Littler wasn’t even born when Van Barneveld lifted the sport’s holy grail in 2007, but he came of age to topple the Dutch legend in an iconic clash of the generations.
“Beating Raymond was probably the game that meant the most to me,” reflected Littler, who was born 20 days after Van Barneveld’s epic sudden-death victory over Phil Taylor.
“Obviously my Mum and Dad watched Raymond when I was growing up, and then I did too.
“From my side, seeing the likes of Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson lose out [to Dolan], the draw just opened up for myself, and that’s why I think I went all the way to the final.”
It took an inspired fightback from Luke Humphries to prevent Littler from lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy on debut, in a final watched by a staggering audience of 4.8 million viewers.
The record figure represented the highest ever non-football peak on Sky Sports, and marked a 143% increase on the sensational 2023 final between Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen.
“Darts has gone global - it’s gone crazy,” admitted Littler, who returns to the World Championship as the number four seed in 2024.
“I’m happy to have played a part in that, but there’s also 127 Tour Card Holders on the circuit as well, so it’s not just down to me.
“My life has changed in many ways. My profile has grown, and I’ve also grown as a player on and off the board.”
Littler has built on his World Championship heroics with a magnificent 2024 campaign that has yielded ten PDC titles – three more than his closest challenger Humphries.
The 17-year-old has lifted Premier League, Grand Slam of Darts and World Series of Darts Finals titles during a trophy-laden season, while he also claimed World Series wins in Poland and Bahrain.
“I’ve achieved more than I expected, and I think I have shown with my performances why I’ve won more than anyone on the tour,” added the young phenom.
“My best memory this year has to be hitting the nine-darter in the Premier League final, and then lifting the trophy a few legs later.
“You have eight of the best players in the world in the Premier League, so I was just glad to be a part of it.
“Playing against the best week in, week out was tough, but I was able to learn about every player, and it improved my game.
"I think I’ve learnt it’s sometimes good to lose, because you can always bounce back."
Littler was a 66/1 outsider for World Championship glory this time last year, but it’s testament to his meteoric rise that he makes his return to the capital as the outright favourite this time around.
He will open his title challenge against either Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock on December 21, exactly 366 days on from his scintillating Ally Pally debut against Kist.
“I feel I’ve definitely improved as a player,” insisted the world number four.
“The confidence is there from playing on all these different stages, but this is the one that everyone wants to win.
“I will take it game by game like I did last year, but any player can turn up and produce against me, so I know I must be on my A-game.
“The last year has flown by! There’s been plenty of darts this year, but now it’s all focus on the big one!”
You can read the full, exclusive interview with Luke in the official Paddy Power World Darts Championship programme, which is available to pre-order now.