PDC president Barry Hearn has seen thousands of darts players come and go over the years, but even he was blown away by a highly-rated Mongolian champion who is making history at youth level.
Ahead of the upcoming World Darts Championship, Hearn has opened up on the current state of darts, as well as its future, in a wide-ranging interview with The Times.
The 77-year-old, who took over the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) by acquiring a majority shareholding in 2001, spoke about Luke Littler and the scale of his extraordinary impact on the game.
For example, Littler's appearance in his World Championship final against Luke Humphries in 2024 attracted a peak audience 3.71 million, which was Sky’s biggest ever non-football audience.
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“They always say never work with children or animals, but watching Littler evolve, he’s a different beast to the one who stepped on that stage at 16," said Hearn. "He’s got so much confidence."
As well as Littler, Hearn mentioned another talented youngster as he opened up on his ambition to achieve bigger and better things in the world of darts.
“We aren’t existing in a goldfish bowl any more,” he said. “We’re seeing kids show up from all over. I saw a kid the other day, he’s the Mongolian champion. F*** me, he’s good."
Hearn didn't mention any names, but it's safe to assume the PDC president was speaking about Tergel Khurelkhuu, the 15-year-old talent from Mongolia who was named the Advanced Tour champion and JDC world number one in June.
Khurelkhuu has relocated to the UK to improve his game and is reaping the benefits, becoming the first player from Asia to top the Junior Darts Corporation's overall rankings.
Such is his talent, the teenager is managed by Paul Stretford, who is better known for being the agent of Wayne Rooney.
Hearn is excited by the future of darts. “We’ve got a Premier League in Australia going, we’ve got one in China going, we’ve got one in the USA starting next year," he continued.
“I must say, though, my recurring nightmare is that we’ll end up with a young Chinese player who has a nine-darter every time he throws and it just kills the game stone dead. It does get me thinking sometimes if I’ve taken things too far.”
Khurelkhuu will not take part in this year's World Championship but judging by his recent performances, the teenager could make an appearance at Alexandra Palace in the very near future. Remember the name.
Topics: Luke Littler, Darts
Jack Kenmare