The British tabloid press can’t get enough of 16-year-old Littler. In the Alexandra Palace arena, thousands of fans watch the great talent. In social media, he has gained thousands of new followers. – There are many people who follow along, and it is quite incredible that so many people know who I am, says Luke Littler. FAVORITE: The 16-year-old from North-West England has gained many new supporters. Photo: Zac Goodwin / AP The 16-year-old has even got his own battle cry. When he was interviewed by Sky Sports after the previous victory, the audience shouted: “You’re going to school tomorrow!” It seems he has the whole nation behind him. “Does he still believe in Santa?” Every year, tens of thousands of Britons gather at Alexandra Palace in London for the highlight of the year for many: the World Cup in Darts. – It’s like a festival. A mix of 17 May and Halloween. The pressure is something completely unique, what happens there is unique, it must be completely wild to stand there in front of several thousand, says Kristoffer Løkberg. Løkberg himself was at Alexandra Palace before Christmas and saw, among other things, reigning world champion Michael Smith in action. He refers to himself as “newly saved”. So far, Luke Littler has received a lot of public attention. The 16-year-old has generated the following headlines in the last week: The Times: “I wasn’t at school. It was just darts for me” Daily Star: “Can’t believe Luke Little’s age – darts star grew a beard at 14” The Sun: “Meet the kebab-loving darts ace who has been playing darts since he was a year old.” Mirror: “The 16-year-old who lights up the WC survives” On Christmas Day, The Sun ranted with the following headline: “Does he still believe in Santa?” with a picture of the 16-year-old unwrapping Christmas presents at his mother’s house. Since the WC start, he has gained tens of thousands of new followers in social media. – I have gone from four to eleven thousand followers, he said after his previous victory in the WC. Since then, he has around 28,000 followers on Instagram. HAPPY: Luke Littler smiles broadly after a victory at Alexandra Palace. Photo: Zac Goodwin / AP Played darts as a one-year-old Littler is placed in a modest 164th place in the world rankings. The players are ranked according to how much they have scored during the year. He has recorded 2,500 pounds (well NOK 30,000) in the past year. By comparison, the ten best players in the world have earned over NOK 6 million each. Littler was born in Runcorn, a small town between Liverpool and Manchester. 18 months (!) old, he throws magnetic darts. At the age of four, he switched to proper arrows. Since then he has won three junior WCs and he is compared to several of the greatest darts players in the world. – I break records. It’s nice to hear that people talk about me and compare me to the greats, says Littler. He almost fell into the WC after qualifying, and won the 1st round. Then he got a lot of attention for celebrating with a kebab. In round two he beat Andrew Gilding, ranked number 20 in the world – and celebrated by eating kebabs again. – He is so young that he has no nerves, says Kristoffer Løkberg. Now he has celebrated Christmas, and on 27 December he will be back on the big stage in London. Then it’s the third round against Matt Campbell, ranked number 57 in the world. Then the Brit will get an answer to whether he will take another scalp in the WC.
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16-year-old Luke Littler surprises Great Britain – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
