It would be easy to say that it all felt so inevitable. Luke Littler, the runner-up last year, came into this year's PDC World Championship as the favourite and left having won it in dominant and breathtaking fashion. Among the fans arriving at Alexandra Palace for the final there was an air of expectation.
Super Mario, Buzz Lightyear and Woody, the Spice Boys - they were coming not so much to see a darts match as to witness history. Even up against a three-time world champion in Michael van Gerwen, few even contemplated the idea Littler might not win. The 17-year-old was going to become darts' youngest ever world champion.
Yet nothing about this should be seen as inevitable. Littler has enjoyed an incredible year since his sensational run to the final 12 months ago, winning 10 PDC titles including the Premier League and the Grand Slam of Darts, but returning to Ally Pally brings a whole different level of scrutiny. The success he enjoyed only brought more pressure to go one better than he did in 2024.
Arguably no darts player before him has had to deal with such attention and it would have been easy for the teenager to crumble. Instead, still a couple of weeks out from his 18th birthday, Littler calmly made his way through the rounds and then put in a display as mature as it was astonishing to vanquish Van Gerwen. Something that has stood out since Littler's rise to prominence has been his assuredness in even the most stressful moments and that was more apparent than ever in.
