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“You have to keep him on your radar,” Stefan Bellmont (34) said about Luke Littler before the start of the Darts World Championship. And the Swiss number one was right: the 16-year-old takes out everyone who stands in his way in the Ally Pally.
Matt Campbell also has no chance on Wednesday evening. The 34-year-old Canadian narrowly escaped a ‘white wash’, i.e. a defeat to nil – 1:4 in the end. “It’s unbelievable. “I actually only wanted to win one match here, but now there are three,” says a very happy Littler after the match.
An age discussion leaves Littler cold
By reaching the eighth finals, he gives himself a present after Christmas; he is guaranteed 40,000 euros. There were also other presents under the tree for the teenager, as can be seen in a photo that his mother Lisa published on X: “Like a 16-year-old opening his presents.” Like many other young people probably did.
But it is his appearance that, in addition to his skills, is the topic of conversation. Numerous fans have already brought up the fact that the teen doesn’t necessarily look like a teenager: “He looks like he’s 30.” In response to Littler’s mother’s post, one X user scoffed, “Does he still believe in Santa?”
Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen (34) also joked exaggeratedly on Sport1 after reaching the eighth finals: “He looks like he is 64. I don’t think he’s 16. I need to see his passport.’ But the Dutchman also pays tribute to him: “He is without a doubt a fantastic darts player.”
The discussion about his mature appearance at a young age has not gone unnoticed by Littler. But she leaves the Man Utd fan quite cold: “I let my darts speak for me.” And he is doing an excellent job at the moment.
Is Littler ready for the world title?
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Bellmont said Wednesday after Littler’s next gala performance. “He has won all the matches with confidence so far. You can tell he’s just having fun.” The Swiss, who narrowly missed qualifying for the World Cup, played against ‘The Nuke’ in 2022 as part of the WDF European Cup in Gandia, Spain (near Valencia). He narrowly lost 3:4 to the then 15-year-old, but speaks of a “cool experience”. And even then the man from Zug had to realize: “Littler is an absolute child prodigy.”
Among the bookmakers, Littler, who was already technically excellent at throwing magnetic darts at the age of 18 (video above), was already one of the title candidates after his victory in the second round. However, Bellmont does not believe that we will see an underage world champion in a week’s time: “For me he is ruled out for the title.” The reason: “He hasn’t had a top seed as an opponent yet. Sometimes they take away his legs and then we see how he handles it.”
Littler could meet someone who was placed in the eighth finals: Raymond van Barneveld (56, world champion 2007). If the Dutchman beats Jim Williams (39) on Friday, it will also be difficult for Littler, says Stefan “Belli” Bellmont. In any case, the youngster is an enrichment for darts: “He will find his way – and one day become world champion.”
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
