In the electrifying glow of the Mattioli Arena in Leicester, where the air hummed with the sharp crack of darts hitting the board, 18-year-old sensation Luke Littler etched another chapter into his meteoric rise. On a crisp October evening in 2025, the teenager known as “The Nuke” unleashed a performance of ruthless precision, dismantling world number one Luke Humphries 6-1 to claim the Boyle Sports World Grand Prix title. But in a twist that left fans buzzing long after the final dart thudded home, Littler dropped a bombshell: he’s diving straight back into the fray, heading to Wigan the very next day for the World Youth Championship. No rest for the prodigy—just pure, unfiltered passion for the game.
Littler’s journey to this double-in, double-out masterpiece of a tournament had all the makings of a darts epic. The World Grand Prix, with its unforgiving format demanding every leg to start and end on a double, is often whispered about in the sport’s corridors as one of the toughest nuts to crack—right up there with the World Championships themselves. Littler, who stumbled out in the first round on his debut last year, arrived this time with the weight of expectation on his slender shoulders. Yet he shouldered it like a seasoned veteran, carving through a gauntlet of giants.
His campaign kicked off with a clinical 2-0 sweep over Dutch youngster Gian van Veen, a rematch of sorts from youth battles past. Next came a gritty battle against Belgium’s Mike De Decker, where Littler’s composure shone through. The real tests loomed larger: a nail-biting 3-2 thriller against fiery Welsh warrior Gerwyn Price, followed by a semi-final demolition of Jonny Clayton, the 2021 champion, whom he thrashed 5-1. In the process, Littler toppled three or four past winners in succession—a streak that spoke volumes about his growing dominance. By the time he stepped to the oche for the final, the arena pulsed with anticipation. Humphries, the defending maestro who’d reached three straight Grand Prix finals, stood as a formidable barrier. Two years prior, Humphries had lifted this very trophy as his breakthrough major; Littler, back then, hadn’t even secured his tour card. How the tables turn.
The final unfolded like a masterclass in controlled chaos. Littler seized the first set in a tense decider, holding his nerve after a shaky 13-dart start to break back with a slick 66 finish. Set two saw him pounce on Humphries’ missed doubles, sealing it with a 64 checkout after a blistering 177 setup. The third set delivered the night’s near-miracle: Littler threaded eight perfect darts toward a nine-darter—the fourth in the tournament’s history—only to graze the bullseye wire. Undeterred, he wrapped it up with a 104 outshot. Humphries clawed a lifeline in the fifth, unleashing a monster 154 checkout and a 12-dart break to claim his lone set. But Littler, ever the finisher, responded with an 11-darter in the sixth and a 14-dart hold in the seventh, his 92.15 average edging out Humphries’ higher 93.61 through sheer checkout mastery. Five of his six sets ended in final-leg deciders—a testament to his ice-in-the-veins mentality.
As the crowd erupted, Littler lifted the trophy, his face a mix of boyish grin and steely resolve. “Yeah, it feels amazing,” he beamed, the silverware glinting under the lights. “Probably one of the hardest majors to win apart from the World Championships. But just to obviously beat three, four previous champions who have won in the past all in a row, and then to pick up the trophy, just feels amazing.” The £120,000 prize swelled his coffers, slicing his deficit to Humphries in the PDC Order of Merit to a mere £70,000. Suddenly, the world number one perch—Humphries’ domain—loomed tantalizingly close. “Until I get that World No. 1 spot I’ll never call myself the best in the world,” Littler admitted, his eyes alight with ambition. “Whoever is No. 1, they’re the best. But knowing I’m only £70,000 in prize money behind Luke, and then he’s got to defend all of his prize money at the Grand Prix, the Players Championships and the World Championships… So yeah, I don’t want to think about it too much, but I could be No. 1 before the World Championships, but I’ve just got to keep chugging away and put as much pressure as I can on Luke.”
Humphries, gracious in defeat, cut a reflective figure. The man who’s shared 15 of the last 21 major trophies with Littler knows the rivalry is just igniting. “He was so clinical in the first four sets,” Humphries said, his voice laced with determination. “When I was 4-0 down I just wanted to give the crowd something… It’s hard to take. It’s disappointing because I felt I was going to give him a better game than I did. I have to just get better, practise harder… If I don’t, he will just run away with everything. I have to dedicate everything to being a dart player and work even harder than I ever have. I want to match him.” Their head-to-head in major finals reads like a saga: Humphries edged the 2024 World Championship 7-4, but Littler fired back with an 11-7 Premier League upset. Losses in the Players Championship and this year’s Premier League stung, yet here was payback—a second straight televised final win over his nemesis.
This victory marks Littler’s seventh PDC major in under two years—a haul that ties him for seventh all-time and leaves just three premier events unticked on his bucket list. From his breakout 2023 youth triumph to world champion status, “The Nuke’s” trajectory defies gravity. He’s not just winning; he’s redefining what’s possible, blending raw power with surgical finesse. Fans online lit up, hailing it as “another demolition job” and marveling at his fire. One quipped, “Luke Littler is on fire—what a dominant performance.”
Yet amid the glory, Littler stayed true to his playful roots with that jaw-dropping announcement. Fresh off the podium, he revealed plans to jet to Wigan— a mere 20-minute drive away—for the World Youth Championship kickoff on Monday. Open to players aged 16 to 23, regardless of pro status, it’s a format blending group stages with knockouts, culminating in Minehead on November 23. Littler, the 2023 king who edged van Veen 6-4 for £10,000, skipped last year’s edition amid his senior surge. Now? He’s back for the lark of it. “It’s true, I’ll go to the world youths tomorrow and just have a bit of fun, see everyone,” he chuckled to reporters. “I don’t think anyone is going to be my friend tomorrow but it’s 20 minutes up the road and I’ll try my best. I could have had the day off, but why not? Play the World Youth, then two Pro Tours in Wigan and have the weekend off.”
This whimsy underscores Littler’s charm: a global phenom who still geeks out over youth scraps. Defending his crown against hungrier talents like 2024 winner van Veen could net more silverware, all while juggling ProTour dates and eyeing the Grand Slam in November. As the dust settles in Leicester, one thing’s clear—the darts world isn’t just watching Littler. It’s orbiting him. With Humphries sharpening his arrows and the World Championships beckoning, the stage is set for a showdown that could crown a new king. For now, though, The Nuke’s just enjoying the ride—one double at a time.
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