Luke Littler wins Young SPOTY after 17-year-old took darts world by storm in whirlwind year
LUKE LITTLER has been crowned the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year.
The darts sensation burst onto the scene at the PDC World Championships last year at the tender age of 16, finishing up as the runner-up to to tournament winner Luke Humphries.
‘The Nuke’ has gone since from strength to strength, winning the Grand Slam, World Series Finals, Bahrain Darts Masters, Poland Darts Masters, Belgian Darts Open and Austrian Darts Open tournaments.
He continued his astonishing rise in May by exacting revenge on Humphries to win the Premier League of Darts.
And his stunning exploits at the age of 17 have seen him beat off a star-studded cast of young sports stars to win the prestigious award.
Littler finished second to Olympic superstar Keely Hodgkinson in the main SPOTY award.
The Warrington wizard said of winning his award: “It just goes to show how well I’ve done this year.
“But not only for myself changed the sport of darts [with] all the other professionals.
“But I have played a big part in it.”
When pressed on the impact he’s had on the sport, Littler added: “I know the amount of academies that have been brought up in different locations and how big the sport has got [now].
“Tickets – selling out Ally Pally within hours. And the Premier League, they sold out quick as well.
“It just goes to show how much I’ve changed it [the sport].”
Littler never expected to be in the running to win the award.
So much so that he admitted to being blown away by his nominatio..
He said earlier this month: “It’s been an amazing year and to be in the running for Young Sports Personality of the Year tops it off.
“If I’ve brought more fans to darts, then that’s all that matters to me.”