TEEN SENSATION Luke Littler cried tears of joy as he became the youngest world darts champion and banked £500,000.
And the Nuke revealed he watched a rerun of the 2024 world final defeat to Luke Humphries – and had a premonition he would lift the Sid Waddell Trophy.
The Warrington ace, 17, destroyed Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in less than one hour of playing time on his second tournament appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship.
Littler broke down in tears when he nailed double 16 and then said: “I can’t believe it. We both played so well.
“Everyone dreams of lifting this trophy, but you have got to get through a tough field.
“I learned a lot. Nobody knows this but earlier today, I watched the whole game back against Luke. I just had the visions.
“I said in interviews that I needed to get to a quick start and that’s what I did.
“Michael was behind me, he was right behind me the whole way through.
“The first game against Ryan Meikle was the game that really mattered. Throughout I have settled.
“At 2-0 up, I started getting nervous, but I told myself to relax. To get it over and done with, that was special.”
Littler, who has banked more than £1.5million in prize money since turning pro in January 2024, was handed the trophy by six-time Olympic cycling champion Chris Hoy, who has Stage Four prostate cancer.
He added: “I could end 2025 winning absolutely nothing. But I picked up the best.
“I want to get more than 10 titles this year. But if I end 2025 with nothing, I have picked the big one up.”
Van Gerwen, 35, has lost in THREE world finals since claiming his third crown in 2019.
The Dutchman, who banks £200,000 as the runner-up, paid tribute to the younger man but he swore on TV and this forced an on-air apology from Sky Sports.
Mighty Mike said: “Every 17 years a star gets born – and he is one of them.
“I am an old bastard compared to him! I’m 35. He’s 17. He deserves this. Of course, it hurts. That is how it should be.
“If it doesn’t hurt, you won’t be a sportsman. I have to move on. I have to make sure I keep playing better.
“I have to take it on the chin. I wasn’t sharp enough at the beginning of the game.
“I went 4-0 behind. After that I wasn’t doing myself any justice. Then you need to try and battle back.
“Fair play to him. Every chance he got, every moment he had to hurt me, he did. Fair play.
“I had a lovely tournament and enjoyed this ride. I was letting myself down too much. When you do that against a player with his ability and with his performance, then you will be in trouble.
“You have to take it on the chin, you have to move on. I will always take my hat off to people that beat me.”
READ MORE on all the fall-out from Luke Littler's incredible world title win...
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