London — Teenage sensation Luke Littler successfully defended his PDC World Darts Championship title on Saturday night, demolishing Dutch challenger Gian van Veen 7-1 in a one-sided final at Alexandra Palace.
The 18-year-old Englishman, nicknamed “The Nuke,” became the first player since Gary Anderson in 2016 to win back-to-back world crowns and only the fourth in PDC history, joining legends Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis.
Van Veen, 23, stunned the field by reaching his maiden final, knocking out 2024 champion Luke Humphries en route, and claimed the opening set.
However, Littler unleashed a relentless barrage, winning the next seven sets and 21 of the final 24 legs.
Posting a three-dart average of 106 and 16 maximums, Littler sealed victory with a 147 checkout, claiming the Sid Waddell Trophy and a record £1 million prize — the first in darts history following the tournament’s expanded £5 million pot.
The youngest-ever final (combined age 41) underscored darts’ emerging youth revolution.
Littler, who lost just one match at Ally Pally across three appearances, extended his dominance atop the world rankings.
“I was expecting everything. I was expecting Gian to throw the kitchen sink at me,” Littler said after the final.
“Obviously, he did that in the first set.
“He could have gone 2-0 up, but from there I don’t really know what happened.”
Littler’s triumph caps a stellar year with multiple majors, cementing his status as the sport’s global superstar.
“I played phenomenally,” Van Veen admitted afterward, while praising the champion.
*This story was compiled using AI, Grok on X
