A perfect game in the World Series at just 16 years old.

Luke “Nuke” Littlerprecocious darts talent and already ranked second in the world, made the perfect move in World Series darts only at 16 years of age: “nine darts” consists of achieving in the minimum number of throws (9) the exact 501 points with which the game is won: seven treble 20s, treble 19s and double 12s. is the youngest person to achieve this, and, according to in fact, second in history after Phil Taylor in 2015.

January 19, 2024 “>

His feat was celebrated in the quarter-finals against Nathan Aspinall before becoming a champion Master of Bahrain after the victory Man Lok Leungthe aforementioned Aspinall, Gerwyn Price And Michael van Gerwen.

Littler was ranked second in the world a few weeks ago. Rarely has the underdog of a final drawn so much attention from the champion. This happened in the first week of the year in Londonin that World Championship darts, a so-called “pub” sport, is extremely popular in Great Britain and increasingly in other countries thanks to television platforms.

IN EnglandSky Sports told the Disney story that led to the stardom of Luke Littler, who reached – and lost – the World Cup final at just 16 years old, a precocious development never before attempted.

The other Luke, Humphreys, 28 and the new world number 1, won the deciding round. But the coverage and fame came to Littler, a truly strange phenomenon in a pub sport, between beers.

It is curious that the new star of darts and darts is not yet old enough to go to bars to drink alcohol, and that his successes at the World Cup were celebrated with soft drinks, juices and kebabs, his favorite food, accompanied by his family, his greatest support in his career.

His age, as well as his physique, are surprising because his plumpness makes him look older than those 16 years – he turns 17 on January 21 – and perhaps that is why one of the British tabloids exclusively published his birth certificate to prove that he is It was true, and that the fans were not mistaken when, during the World Cup, they sang after each victory “you have to go to school tomorrow.”

Darts is his life and his profession, to the point that he even leaves his studies aside. Second place at the World Championships brought him a check for 250,000 euros, his first advertising contracts and half a million followers on Instagram. They see him as a successor, sooner or later Phil Taylorconsidered the best player in history.

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How did “Nuclear Missile,” as he was nicknamed, get here? A video posted on YouTube shows him throwing darts when he was just 18 months old. At the age of four he had his first real target, and at eight he was already shooting every day at a given height and distance. At age 11, he played in under-21 tournaments because “he was simply better than everyone else,” his former coach explained to the BBC. Karl Holden. At 13, the pandemic locked him at home and he trained constantly, and at 14, he achieved his first nine-darter goal.

“I get up, play Xbox for a bit, eat something and play darts. Then I go to bed and that’s it.” This is the life of a teenager with goals.