Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts, World Darts Championship
Josh Lawless
Luke Littler made a surprise career announcement just moments after winning the World Grand Prix for the first time.
Littler defeated Luke Humphries in stunning fashion in Leicester, coming away with a 6-1 victory that moves him closer to being ranked the No.1 player in the world.
'The Nuke' was knocked out of the tournament in the opening round last year and ahead of the showpiece, he revealed that he wasn't particularly fond of the 'double-in and double-out' format.
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But he embarked on a dominant run this time around, beating four previous winners and bagging a seventh PDC major televised title by defeating Humphries in a battle between the two best in the world.
Littler, who recently announced a management change claimed £120,000 in prize money and the gap between him and Humphries at the top of the PDC's order of merit has been cut to £70,000.
He could have been forgiven for resting up after adding another trophy to his collection but after his latest triumph, Littler confirmed he will be back in action on Monday.
The 18-year-old will participate in the World Youth Championship, which takes place in Wigan.
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"I'll go to the World Youth tomorrow and just have a bit of fun, see everyone," Littler said, speaking to Sky Sports.
"I don't think anyone is going to be my friend tomorrow, but it's only 20 minutes up the road, so I'll try my best!"
Littler won the 2023 World Youth Championships, defeating Gian van Veen in the final. He did not participate in the 2024 edition, where Van Veen went all the way with a victory over fellow Dutchman Jurjen van der Velde.
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But Littler is still eligible to compete as he is in the 16 and 23 age bracket and there are no ranking restrictions.
The event begins with a group stage format, with 32 groups of four and the top two progressing to the Last 64 knockout stage.
The final takes place on Sunday November 23 in Minehead, in between the semi-finals and final of the Players Championship - meaning there is a potential scenario where Littler could be playing three games back-to-back in the same day.
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The prize money is £12,000 for winning, as well as a spot in the 2025/26 World Darts Championship & 2026 Grand Slam of Darts.
Littler could well be the No.1 ranked player by the time he gets ready to defend his world crown in Blackpool and is desperate to achieve that feat in the coming months.
"Until I get that World No. 1 spot I'll never call myself the best in the world," he admitted.
"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.
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"But I've just got to keep chugging away, and put as much pressure as I can on Luke."