Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Darts, Luke Littler
Chris Byfield
The first PDC World Darts Championship winner received far smaller winnings than Luke Humphries after Wednesday’s triumph.
Humphries defeated 16-year-old Luke Littler 7-4 in a gripping final at Alexandra Palace to claim his first-ever World Championship title.
Littler was aiming to become darts' youngest-ever world champion after a thrilling run to the final, but World No.1 Humphries, the pre-event favourite, clawed back from 4-2 to claim the £500,000 first prize.
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"I could not put into words how great this feels," Humphries told Sky Sports.
"In the back of my mind throughout today, I was thinking 'get this one now because he's going to dominate world darts soon'. He's an incredible player. When I was on the brink of winning there, he was relentless.
"That double eight [to win], my hands were shaking like mad and it just fell in for me. I'm world champion and world number one and I can't ask for more."
Humphries left Alexandra Palace on Wednesday half a million pounds richer. Indeed, this year’s World Championships was far more lucrative for the winner than in previous editions of the tournament.
The first ever WDC World Championships back in 1994 was staged at the Circus Tavern in Essex and saw Dennis Priestley become champion, beating Phil Taylor 6-1 in the final.
It would turn out to be the last time Taylor would fail to win the World Championship until 2003.
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But despite Priestley’s heroics, he was only awarded £16,000 for his victory from an overall prize pot of £64,000.
Despite his final defeat, Littler earned £200,000 while his progress captured the public's imagination.
Littler said: "The one negative was I lost too many legs on my throw, so Luke would break me, then hold and I'd be 2-0 down [in the set].
"Fair play to Luke, he deserves it.
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"I've got to the final, I might not get to another final for the next five to 10 years, we don't know, but I can say I'm a runner-up and now I just want to go and win it.”