Prodigy Luke Littler marches to a historic title defense at the Darts World Championship and is hailed in his home country.
What a show of power from world champion Luke Littler at the Darts World Championship! With a dominant 7:1, the 18-year-old defended his title – as only the fourth player in history and the youngest professional ever.
The English press bows before the prodigy and hails the double world champion. SPORT1 shows press reactions to Littler’s triumph.
Telegraph: “A majestic Littler pockets a million and defends his darts crown. If we’ve learned one thing during Luke Littler’s journey to becoming the first dart player to earn a million pounds, it’s that anger only makes him play better. An average of over 106 was reminiscent of Phil Taylor in his prime. It was also his 20th consecutive win in all competitions, underlining his dominance that can be measured against the greats of any sport.” The Sun: “Unstoppable, unvanquishable, inevitable. Luke Littler thrashes van Veen and becomes only the fourth player in history to win back-to-back World Championship titles. He leaves the tournament with a million after destroying the Dutch number 1.” Daily Mail: “Littler’s £1 Million Payday! The Nuke cries tears of joy after the teenage sensation wins back-to-back at Ally Pally and pockets a million.” Daily Mirror: “Luke Littler wins the World Championship final AGAIN and secures a huge new jackpot. Luke Littler and Gian van Veen were in the spotlight at Alexandra Palace on Saturday evening as the next generation of darts players competed for the PDC World Championship title.”
Sky Sports: “Demolition! Littler dominates van Veen and the wasp to defend his title.” Press Association: “Luke Littler’s biggest obstacle on his way to his second consecutive World Championship title was the return of the Ally Pally wasp.” Daily Star: “Luke Littler wins the Darts World Championship for the second time in a row and outclasses Gian van Veen.” De Telegraaf: “Gian van Veen’s World Championship dream ends: The outstanding Luke Littler defeats the Dutchman and defends his world title. Van Veen misses out on the surprise.” AD: “Gian van Veen missed out on becoming the third Dutch world champion of all time. The reigning world champion Luke Littler, only 18 years old, impressively demonstrated on Saturday evening that he is in a class of his own in the darts world.” Hed nieuwsblad: “Nothing to be done: Luke Littler defeats Gian van Veen 7:1 and crowns himself world champion again at 18 years old. The 18-year-old exceptional player gave van Veen no chance in the final and thus succeeds himself. ‘The Nuke’ is now also a million pounds richer.”