Luke Littler shows true colours with classy message after £200k World Championship run | Other | Sport

Luke Littler felt obliged to express his gratitude to his new army of followers following his remarkable run at the World Darts Championship. The 16-year-old became a household name overnight after reaching the Ally Pally final, winning £200k in the process.

Littler beat former world champions Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross en route to the showpiece event in London, before eventually falling to defeat against Luke Humphries in the final.

The teenage darts sensation took the sporting world by storm thanks to his heroics, and he appears to still be getting used to all the new-found attention directed his way. In an unpromoted social media post, Littler said: “Just want to say thank u to everyone for the support.

“I’m not ignorant in any way. My life has changed significantly the last few weeks and it’s just not possible to reply to everyone. I’m just a young kid that’s living a dream and hope I’ve inspired many more for the future.”

Littler’s following were quick to flock his replies on X, formerly known as Twitter, insisting that the young sports star didn’t need to apologise or feel the need to explain himself – and reiterating the point that he has inspired the next generation after nearly getting his hands on the Sid Waddell Trophy.

Littler is now gearing up for a huge year ahead of him, with expectations firmly on his shoulders following his incredible achievement. The teenager is preparing for his debut in the Premier League Darts, which starts on February 1 in Cardiff.

He has joined Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price, Cross and Peter Wright in the Premier League, which ends in London on May 23.

After his run to the final at Ally Pally, many have tipped him to rake in the money, with former player Bobby George going as far as tipping him to “become the richest player ever”.

He told The Mirror: “He’s got the talent and he’s at the top of the world now in darts. The more oches you tread, the better you get. And he’s going to go and tread a lot of oches now and earn a lot of money. It’s great for a young man of that age.”