Luke Littler’s Eventful Year as a Sports Personality Nominee

Luke Littler is among the six nominees for the 2024 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. The darts player’s year is notable for his impactful debut at the World Darts Championship, where he overcame high-calibre opponents such as five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross. This achievement made him the youngest player, at 16 years and 347 days, to advance to the tournament’s final. Although Littler was defeated by Luke Humphries in the World Championship final, he earned £200,000 for his second-place finish. This amount formed part of the £1m in prize money he accumulated during his first year as a professional, a period in which he also became a significant media figure. Outside of darts, he has been seen at Manchester United matches from the directors’ box, participated in a lap around Silverstone with Lando Norris, developed his own darts merchandise range, and represents a cereal brand. Later in January, Littler secured his first PDC senior title by defeating Michael van Gerwen to win the Bahrain Darts Masters. During this tournament, he also achieved a nine-darter on live television, becoming the youngest person to complete this feat, which involves scoring 501 points with the minimum number of darts required. In May, Littler claimed his first major PDC title by winning the 2024 Premier League Darts, defeating Luke Humphries 11-7 at the O2 Arena in London. Littler, who had triumphed in five of the 17 league nights, also achieved a nine-dart finish during the final. In November, Littler secured his first major ranking title by winning the Grand Slam of Darts. He dominated qualifier Martin Lukeman with a 16-3 victory in the final held in Wolverhampton, subsequently rising to fifth place in the PDC’s Order of Merit, a significant improvement from his 164th ranking a year earlier.