Teenage sensation: Luke Littler, 16, lights up world darts championship with back-to-back wins

England's Luke Littler reacts during his match against England's Andrew... — England's Luke Littler reacts during his match against England's Andrew Gilding on day seven of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. Credit: AP/Zac Goodwin

By The Associated PressDecember 21, 2023

LONDON — Many 16-year-old kids are enjoying their last days at school before the holidays.

Not Luke Littler. He’s winning matches in his debut at the world darts championship.

To the backdrop of chants of “You’ve got school in the morning” from a boisterous crowd, Littler has produced spellbinding performances on back-to-back nights at Alexandra Palace to deliver one of the great storylines in recent years at the tournament.

On Thursday, Littler beat 20th-seeded Andrew Gilding 3-1 to advance to the third round. It came 24 hours after he beat Christian Kist 3-0 to become the youngest player to win a match on the sport's highest stage.

“I don’t know how I got over the line, but I’ve done it," said Littler, who is from the town of Runcorn, close to Liverpool in northwest England.

Littler, a former winner of the World Youth Championship, celebrated beating Kist by eating a kebab and he said he’d be sticking to the routine.

“It’s trending worldwide, that kebab,” he said on the stage after his win. “So I think it’s another kebab for me.”