Not a bad amount to take home at the age of 16…
Luke Littler has secured himself a six-figure payday despite losing in the final of the PDC World Darts Championships.
Over the last three weeks, the 16-year-old has become one of the sporting stories of recent years as he has marched through the tournament, beating (almost) all who stand in his way.
Before entering the tournament, Luke ‘The Nuke’ was ranked 164th in the world and was relatively unknown.
However he shot to national fame throughout the championships, defeating Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell, Raymond van Barneveld and Brendan Dolan and Rob Cross on his way to the final.
Following his semi final win, he became the youngest player ever to reach the final of the tournament, smashing the previous record set by Kirk Shepherd in 2008 (21 years and 88 days).
But it wasn’t quite to be for Littler, as he lost to an world number one Luke Humphries in an outstanding final.
Although Littler delivered on the night, Humphries was just too good for the teenager as he collected his maiden world title.
Despite the defeat, Littler has still captured the attention of the nation – and will also walk away with a huge amount of money.
By reaching the final, he has won £200,000 in prize money, whilst Humphries walks away with £500,000 for his win.
Before the tournament, Littler’s previous highest payouts were of around £27.500 during the Modus Super Series in Portsmouth.
When asked what he would spend the prize money during his tournament run, Littler admitted he just wanted a new coat and some FIFA points.
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 turns 17 next month and has also spoken about his desire to learn to drive.
Well, it’s safe to say he’ll be able to afford the lessons and probably won’t need to settle for a second-hand banger.
Speaking after the final, Littler said: “The one negative was I lost too many legs on my throw, so Luke would break me, then hold and I’d be 2-0 down [in the set].
“Fair play to Luke, he deserves it.
“I’ve got to the final, I might not get to another final for the next five to 10 years, we don’t know, but I can say I’m a runner-up and now I just want to go and win it.”
And Humphries paid tribute to his opponent, predicting that he would “dominate world darts soon.”
He said: “In the back of my mind throughout today, I was thinking ‘get this one now because he’s going to dominate world darts soon’. He’s an incredible player. When I was on the brink of winning there, he was relentless.
“That double eight [to win], my hands were shaking like mad and it just fell in for me. I’m world champion and world number one and I can’t ask for more.”
Related links:
Ally Pally crowd drown out trophy presentation with chants of ‘there’s only one Luke Littler’
Luke Littler’s girlfriend sends message to 16-year-old as he reaches semi finals
