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Luke Littler’s historic run at the World Darts Championship came to an end on Wednesday when the 16-year-old sensation lost 7-4 to Luke Humphries in the final.
The unseeded Littler made his debut at the tournament and would have become the youngest winner of darts’ biggest prize, but lost out in an epic match at London’s Alexandra Palace.
At one point, the teenager had a chance to take a 5-2 lead, but world No. 1 Humphries came back to win five consecutive sets, earning him his first world title and £500,000 in prize money. obtained.
“Honestly, in the back of my head I was thinking, ‘Let’s get this now,’ because he’s going to dominate the world of darts in no time,” Humphreys said after lifting the trophy. said. “He’s an unbelievable talent. He had to win tonight, but I’m sure he’ll win a lot.”
As runner-up, Littler took home a prize of 200,000 pounds (approximately $250,000) and is likely to compete for major titles for years to come after making history as the youngest finalist.
Mr. Littler’s candidacy garnered front-page headlines and increased his fame. He also rose to his 32nd place in the world rankings after taking the tournament by storm.
“I’m happy to be in the top 32 and runner-up in my debut race. It’s unbelievable,” he said.
Littler won the World Youth title last year and had already earned a huge reputation in the sport before this championship. However, his performance surprised many after defeating two former world champions, Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross, to reach the final.
His showmanship on stage was popular with the tournament’s raucous crowds, but off stage his easy-going personality added to his appeal.
Ahead of the final, he said he planned to stick to his pregame routine of eating a ham and cheese omelet followed by pizza.
“You’ll never see a 16-year-old kid as down-to-earth as he is. He’s just a different person,” Humphries said. “He’s one of the best players in the world, that’s for sure.”
Humphries proved too great a challenge for Littler. The No. 3 seed entered the tournament having won three major titles in two months, defeating Scott Williams 6-0 to advance to the final and extend his winning streak to 18 matches.
But there were still moments when it looked like Littler could pull off one of the most unlikely victories in sports. After a shaky start, they came back from set down twice to tie the score at 2-2, then took a 4-2 lead.
He missed a double to win the fifth set, and Humphries took control from there.
Multiple champion Michael van Gerwen remains the youngest player to win the World Darts Championship since winning at the age of 24 in 2014.
Jere Claassen was 21 years old when he won the world title with the now-defunct British darts organization in 2006.
Littler, from Runcorn in northwest England, will turn 17 later this month but still has time to set new records.
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