FILE - Luke Humphries of England poses with the trophy after winning the final match against Luke Littler of England at the World Darts Championship, in London, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Luke Littler was virtually unknown a year ago. Now he is making millions, transcending his sport and is searched for more often on Google than King Charles and the British Prime Minister.

That Littler is a 17-year-old darts player who still lives at home with his parents in northwest England makes his rise to fame and increasing fortune all the more remarkable.

It was around this time 12 months ago, with Christmas approaching, when Littler grabbed the attention of Britain and beyond by making an unlikely run to the final of the world darts championship in his first appearance. He was 16 — though could easily have passed for double the age — and seemingly without a care in the world, celebrating his victories with kebabs and filling his down-time by playing video games.

Littler lost the title match but won a legion of fans and brought darts — to many, a beer-fueled pub game — into the mainstream, like in its heyday in the 1980s.

It also earned the down-to-earth teenager, nicknamed “Luke The Nuke,” 200,000 pounds ($255,000) and opened the door to a whole new world of opportunities.

A place on darts’ top circuit. Lucrative sponsorship deals. A spot on the sofas of talk shows. Messages from superstars like David Beckham, and an audience with Alex Ferguson for a Manchester United match at Old Trafford.

On Tuesday, Google announced that Littler was Britain’s most-searched athlete in 2024 and the third most-searched person, behind Kate Middleton and President-elect Donald Trump and just ahead of recently elected U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the king.

Next week, Littler will return to London’s Alexandra Palace, the boisterous venue for the world championship, as a winner of 10 tournaments around the world including in Bahrain and Amsterdam; as the world No. 4; with his prize money for 2024 up to around 1 million pounds ($1.28 million); and with 1.3 million followers on Instagram, up from 4,000 before last year's worlds.

“I can’t lie, I was nervous on my world championship debut,” said Littler, who threw his first dart — onto a magnetic board — at 18 months old. “But this year I’ve won a lot of titles. I’ve hit nine-darters, and I come in now with a lot more confidence, and playing better than last year.

“It’s still my first year, what I’ve done is incredible. But also it’s work, and there’s money to be made and titles to be won.”

Earnings potential

Darts promoter Barry Hearn calls it the best Christmas present he’s ever had.

“I’m so difficult to buy for because I’m old and I’ve got most things I want,” said Hearn, the top official of the Professional Darts Corporation. “Then someone gave me Luke Littler.”

Littler is one of Britain's most recognizable people. He's the face of a new cereal, has a clothing sponsorship deal, and his image and trademark purple-and-yellow colors adorn accessories sold by Target Darts in toy shops across the country.

“He has opened doors to all the places darts has never been before,” said Garry Plummer, chairman of Target Darts, which has sponsored Littler since the age of 12 and makes his darts.

Experts say Littler’s earnings potential is huge and that he can lift the sport’s appeal to new levels.

“He is one for the social-media age,” Dan Plumley, sports finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University in England, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “He has been able to connect with footballers, with influencers; he has got people around him that are really in the social-media space for the younger generation."

The Littler effect

Littler is putting the sport higher in the news agenda, bringing in more TV viewers — Sky Sports’ audience peaked at 3.7 million for last year's world championship final, the pay-TV broadcaster’s largest ever for a sport that isn’t soccer — and making more kids want to play darts.

Steve Brown, chairman of the Junior Darts Corporation, told the BBC the Littler effect has seen the number of academies for children under the age of 16 double to 115 in the last year and they can be found in places like Bulgaria and Mongolia. Brown said his corporation has more than 3,000 members, up from 1,600 12 months ago.

Plummer said the uptick in his company’s sales was massive on the back of Littler’s run to the world final.

“We might have sold 500 sets (of Littler-branded darts) in a year,” Plummer said. “I think we had 900 in stock after his first game and they all went the next morning. And then they didn’t stop. We couldn’t keep up with it.”

Breaking records

Top-ranked Luke Humphries beat Littler in last year's world final and said afterward: “All day, in the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking, ‘Get this won now, because he’s going to dominate world darts soon.’”

Littler has been widely tipped to challenge the record for world titles, held by the now-retired Phil “The Power” Taylor at a staggering 16.

“If there’s anybody that could do it, it’s this young lad now,” Taylor said. “He’s got the age on his side, and he’s got the ability.”

Littler has the mindset to achieve it, too.

“It's all about that record. He wants to be the best that's ever walked the planet,” Plummer told the AP.

The favorite

Littler has won 139 of his 181 matches in 2024. He has hit four 9-dart finishes — the quickest way to win a leg of darts from the starting point of 501. These things make him, for many, the favorite for the world championship starting Sunday.

“Luke Littler was forged into a winner, not just a great dart-thrower,” John Part, a three-time world champion from Canada who will be calling matches at the world championship for Sky Sports, told the AP. “He was the best at each age level he's gone through, so is aware of how to win and he's so comfortable with it. He doesn’t feel pressure at all.”

Littler says he'll be following a simple routine over the next few weeks: “A lot of sleep, practice, Xbox, chill out."

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