PDC chairman Eddie Hearn has hailed teenage darts sensation Luke Littler, praising his ability to “keep his head” after his rapid rise.
Littler rose to prominence as a qualifier at the 2024 World Darts Championship, with the teenager going all the way to the final where he was beaten by Luke Humphries. 12 months later, Littler went one better as he beat Michael van Gerwen in the final to become the youngest world champion in the sport’s history.
The youngster has won a number of other titles and banked more than £1million in prize money since making his Alexandra Palace debut. And Hearn has been majorly impressed by how the 18-year-old has handled himself.
“I don’t know Luke too well,” Hearn told Betfred. “We’ve exchanged messages, but the most fascinating thing about Luke is how he’s managed to keep his head, keep performing at the highest level and do the right things.
“Plonkers can start to associate themselves, or start becoming involved, in athlete’s circles, but he’s got a really good group of people around him, which is so important for any big name.
“He’s obviously got a very close relationship with his dad and the rest of his family and they’ve done a brilliant job to nurture him into the competitor that he is today.”
Littler is the defending Premier League champion and he won night two in Glasgow last week, beating Humphries in the final, and Hearn believes he will continue to make a “fortune” as long as he remains focused on the sport.
“For him, it’s all about the darts,” Hearn continued. “He’s making a fortune and he will continue to make more and more money, especially when the prize money, inevitably, continues to go up for the PDC. I just find it fascinating.
“I watched him in the Premier League the other night and he’s also a showman. I just think he’s perfect in every way and the reason why he’s perfect is because he lives to compete and he lives to play and everything else just follows on. As long as you can stay focused on that and you’re as good as he is, everything else comes with it.”
Littler will be back in action for night three of the Premier League in Dublin on Thursday, having been drawn against Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals. The other quarter-final matches will see Humphries take on Stephen Bunting, Van Gerwen face Chris Dobey and Rob Cross meet Nathan Aspinall.
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