Littler wins back-to-back world darts titles at 18

LONDON (AP) — Luke Littler is a back-to-back world darts champion at the age of 18.

The English phenom beat Gian van Veen of the Netherlands 7-1 in the final at Alexandra Palace on Saturday to secure a record winner’s prize of 1 million pounds ($1.35 million) and underline his status as a generational talent in the sport.

It was Littler's third straight appearance in the final of darts’ showpiece tournament. He lost to Luke Humphries in 2024 — as a precocious 16-year-old who quickly became a household name across Britain — and defeated Michael van Gerwen last year.

Twelve months later and now the world's top-ranked player, Littler — nicknamed "The Nuke" — has become the 16th player to win multiple men’s world titles.

Following his second title, Littler paid a tribute to Anthony Joshua’s friends following their fatal car crash this week, before borrowing one of the heavyweight boxing champion’s famous catchphrases.

“Obviously everyone knows what happened with Anthony Joshua and his guys and his team,” Littler said.

“Rest in peace to his friends. But just like AJ said, the first time was so nice, I had to do it twice.”

Such is Littler’s talent that many are already wondering whether he can challenge the 16 world titles collected by Phil Taylor, darts’ greatest ever player.