Who is Luke “The Nuke” Littler?
Luke Littler fact file:
Name: Luke Littler
Nickname: The Nuke
DOB: January 21, 2007
Home Town: Warrington, England
Laterality: Right handed
Darts: 23g Target Luke Littler Gen 1 signature darts
Walk-on Song: Pitbull ft. Flo Rida & LunchMoney Lewis – Greenlight
Best achievement: 2024 Premier League champion
Darts used: Target Luke Littler Gen 1 23g
From WDF youth player to bossing the PDC Development tour
Back in early 2023, Luke was just 15 and already a standout in junior darts. Winning junior and senior titles on the WDF circuit Luke was taking the scene by storm. Fast forward twelve months, and this talented teen nearly became the youngest PDC World Champion ever.
Sensational performances in his PDC world championship debut garnered widespread attention. Luke Littler has gone from relative obscurity to a household name and one of the most recognizable faces in darts in what seems to be a blink of an eye.
His first year on the 2023 PDC Development Tour was simply incredible. Having turned 16 Luke competed on the circuit for the first time and made it count snagging five titles. He then solidified his status as leading development tour player by winning the PDC World Youth Championship, beating Dutch star Gian van Veen in an exciting final.
Littlermania hits darts fans around the world
But it was Luke’s performance at Alexandra Palace that really skyrocketed his fame. Initially happy just to win his first match at the World Championship, he shattered expectations with a thrilling run to the final, where he eventually lost to Luke Humphries in an epic showdown.
“Littlermania” had officially begun. With everyone eagerly watching his next moves, the PDC ensured his story continued on Premier League and World Series stages. Some in the darting fraternity suggested his entry to these PDC invitational events was coming too soon. Luke, his management and the PDC felt he would take it all in his stride and was up to the challenge.
Dispelling the doubters on the oche
Any remaining doubters were silenced after Luke’s brilliance at Ally Pally. He headed to the Bahrain World Series event and came back with the trophy, making history as the youngest player to hit a televised nine-dart finish. Only Phil Taylor had done that at a World Series event before—talk about elite company!
Continuing his streak of amazing debuts, Luke won the first 2024 PDC Pro Tour event in Wigan with some jaw-dropping performances, including another nine-darter.
Then, as if that wasn’t enough, “The Nuke” went to his first European Tour event and won the Belgian Darts Open, even hitting a perfect leg against Rob Cross in a thrilling final!
Vindication of generational talent label
Living up to the pressure of being labelled a generational talent has affected many youngsters but not Luke Littler. True vindication of the support of the fans and from the PDC came when Luke finished top of the pile after 16 weeks of the PDC Premier League. Week 17 featured the top 4 finishers in the O2 in London and Luke cruised his way to the title becoming the youngest ever Premier League champion. In taking the title Littler also hit a 9 dart finish in the final against Luke Humphries!
Inspiring the stars of the future
With tens of thousands of young players across the UK and around the world now taking up the game, Luke Littler’s superhero-like feats are inspiring the next generation of champions. Youth academies are springing up like mushrooms as kids are keen to get involved in the sport. Dart shops are seeing massive increases in turnover and search engines are seeing surges of people searching for a local darts shop to buy darts and accessories.
As darts prodigy Luke Littler continues to break new ground we join with all darts fans following every next step in the young man’s career!