Luke Littler has become the talk of the sports world and is consistently at the centre of a media whirlwind thanks to his meteoric rise to the summit of darts.
'The Nuke' beat Michael van Gerwen to claim the PDC World Darts Championship in January after missing out in a final against Luke Humphries in 2024.
At 18 years of age, Littler is the youngest ever world champion and lives in the spotlight. His private life is treated as a matter of public interest and the pressure to perform has only intensified. Such is the life of a phenom.
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But while other elite sportspeople all over the world stay at the top of their game by deploying an arsenal of rituals and routines designed to hone their focus before they compete, Littler appears to be taking even world champion status in his stride.
The world number two was recently discussed on the Dutch darts podcast Darts Draait Door, where the subject of his private life was compared with the relationship between former Premier League star Rafael van der Vaart – also a professional darts player in his time – and his now ex-wife Sylvie Meis.
Former pro player Vincent van der Voort scoffed at podcast host Damian Vlottes' tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Littler might be half of the darts equivalent of Meis and Van der Vaart, regarded during their marriage as the new Beckhams in the Netherlands.
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Van der Voort shrugged off the chatter about Littler's private life and shifted the conversation to the other side of the story, namely how the teenage sensation handles fame and attention in the sporting moments that matter most.
To the surprise of nobody who's admired Littler's incredible rise and his ability to deal with it with minimal fuss, he prepares for big matches in a typically relaxed manner.
"Everything he does will be under the microscope. But he seems to handle it all so effortlessly," said Van der Voort.
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"You see him in the practice room — nothing seems to bother him.
"He's casually throwing darts, not even trying, then walks on stage and averages 112.
"It's unreal. Everything looks so easy for him. Massive respect to the lad."
Littler's process has delivered five majors already in his career, most recently the UK Open in March.
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts
Chris Nee