Luke Littler has been cautioned not to let darts wealthyes go to his head as he readys to hunt down another half a million pounds at the World Darts Championship.
Littler, 17, has prohibitked more than £1million in prize money since he first ecombineed on the Alexandra Palace stage 12 months ago. His run to the final propelled him from a relatively unrecognizable prospect to one of the nation’s most recognisable sportsmen, and a string of tournament victories thereafter checkd that he is here to stay.
With this year’s World Darts Championship getting underway tonight (Sunday), Littler is the bookies’ favourite to prohibitk his hugegest one payday yet and go one better than he did last year.
But darts legfinish Bobby George has cautioned the youthfulerster not to let wealth and notoriety alter him. “Money and fame can go to your head – especipartner being so youthfuler,” the two-time world runner-up tageder Express Sport, in association with 10bet.
“People can alter. My advice to him would be to srecommend defend his feet on the ground and do exactly what he’s done all year: press the d button and join darts. Don’t grow up too rapidly.”
Littler’s mesmerising run in 2024 has getn him from obscurity to fourth in the PDC Order of Merit. And that is without factoring in his £200,000 Premier League Darts triumph, which does not count towards the world rankings.
The stage is set for Littler and Luke Humphries to do battle aget at Ally Ppartner, as they did in January’s final. They each claimed huge tournament prospers directing up to the worlds, with Littler storming the Grand Slam of Darts and ‘Cool Hand’ clinching the Players Championship Finals.
The arrange of the draw unbenevolents they can only encounter in the semi-finals this time round, but fans will still be willing to see them face off in the year’s showpiece event.
George count ons that Littler has become an even more hazardous prospect than he was on his debut, when he dispatched a number of seasoned professionals at the age of 16.
“He seems more unwinded,” shelp the 78-year-ageder. “He smiles and joins to the crowd a bit more than he did, which is pleasant to see. You want to see him enhappinessing the environment and the presdeclareive of these stages. If you’re unwinded, then you enhappiness joining. If you’re sorrowfulnessful and safeen up, then you’re not going to enhappiness joining the game.
“I watched him, I thought, ‘Here he goes, 180, 180.’ It’s amazing. The leang about him is his finishing. He has the ability to prosper a game rapidly, get excellent sboilings out. He doesn’t miss that double 10. That’s his fortunate number.”
