Teenage phenomenon Luke Littler once again planted his flag firmly at the summit of the tungsten mountain, delivering a merciless, emphatic 7–1 dismantling of Dutch prodigy Gian van Veen to reclaim the PDC World Championship in utterly imperious fashion.
First blood did, briefly, belong to Van Veen. Calm, composed, he held his nerve and throw in the opening set, allowing the faintest whisper of intrigue to ripple through Alexandra Palace. Then came a moment – tiny in timing, colossal in consequence. Leading 2–0 in legs in set two, the Dutchman stood on the brink of stealing the darts and seizing early control. Belief surged. Opportunity knocked. And then… it vanished. Littler rallied, snapped the set away, and the tone of the evening quietly but decisively shifted.
Van Veen again began brightly in the third, holding throw and showing no fear. But this was the point at which the reigning champion’s eyes sharpened. The gears began to turn. Within minutes, Littler was ahead. And then came the avalanche.
In a blistering purple patch that left the Palace gasping, Littler tore through four consecutive sets while surrendering just a single leg. Four. One leg. Total dominance. The scoreboard screamed 6–1 and the contest slipped from competitive to ceremonial. It was no longer a question of if, only when.
The inevitable arrived swiftly. Littler controlled the eighth and final set with the composure of a veteran and the cruelty of a conqueror, sealing a one-sided finale that did not fully reflect the quality Van Veen brought to the stage.
The Dutchman did not collapse. Far from it. He played well. His average hovered just under the ton – respectable, commendable, but frustratingly five points shy of his tournament standard. Against Littler, that margin is fatal.
What will haunt Van Veen are the moments that flickered and died. Chances appeared. Littler devoured them. That is the difference between excellence and supremacy. And supremacy is exactly where Littler now resides. Back-to-back World Champion. A title retained.
A place secured alongside only Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson as the only men to successfully defend the Sid Waddell Trophy.
Historic company. Immortal company.
The numbers? Brutal, as expected. A 106-and-change average. Near 50 percent on the doubles. Sixteen maximums detonated into the night. A Big Fish reeled in for good measure. Perhaps the only shock was the absence of a nine-darter – remarkable, really, that a tournament of such ferocity passed without perfection.
Littler won’t lose sleep over that. Post-match, the champion showed maturity beyond his years, first paying tribute to legendary MC John McDonald and referee George Noble, both bowing out from PDC duties. Darts World echoes those sentiments and wishes them nothing but the very best.
For Van Veen, disappointment lingered – less at defeat, more at not pushing his fellow World Youth Champion harder. Yet perspective is everything. Offered a World Championship final, world number three status, and the mantle of top-ranked Dutchman before the tournament began, he would have snapped your hand off.
A Premier League invitation from the Professional Darts Corporation surely awaits, along with World Series calls. And £400,000 in prize money provides a rather generous consolation. He’s had worse evenings.
As for Littler? He continues to rewrite the sport’s record books with frightening ease. If a record begins with the word youngest, chances are his name follows. The inevitable question now grows louder: how many can he win? Two already. Still a teenager. Barely a couple of years into the professional game.
Challenges will come. Van Veen will return. Luke Humphries, MVG, Gerwyn Price and a host of elite arrow-smiths will sharpen their weapons. But for now, Luke Littler is untouchable.
Just two years ago, he had never even played a match at the PDC World Championship. Now, Alexandra Palace is his playground.
Dreaming? Not anymore. Luke Littler is wide awake.
—– Ends—–
