Luke Littler started his life as a professional darts player with silverware, becoming the youngest player to hit a televised nine darter.
The 16-year-old darts sensation earned an early birthday present after defeating three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen 8-5 in the final of the Bahrain Darts Masters, The Sun reports. .
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This is his first senior title and an incredible achievement in his first appearance on the World Series of Darts circuit, earning him $38,500 in prize money.
And beating three-time world champion and world number two Van Gerwen in such clinical fashion is a shocking achievement for the sport.
Littler, who turns 17 on Sunday, showed further evidence of his incredible talent as he wiped out everyone in front of him in the Middle Eastern country.
In the quarterfinals, Littler started with a nine-darter victory over practice partner Nathan Aspinall 6-3. His moment of perfection came on just his 10th leg as a full-time star on the PDC circuit.
Nine Darts made him the youngest player to accomplish the incredible feat in a senior PDC darts event.
He broke the previous record set by Van Gerwen at the age of 17 years and 10 months.
Reacting to the breathtaking moment, PDC chairman Eddie Hearn wrote of X: Kid is a superstar! ”
Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle said: “There will never be a greater player than Littler.”
“That kid is incredibly talented. Why aren’t you excited!!!”
And he joked, “Darts are hard…I don’t know if Luke Littler would agree with me.”
Meanwhile, Ally Pally presenter Abigail Davies added: It’s complete filth. ”
Local fans also couldn’t believe their eyes, with one person writing: Luke Littler 9 Darter Game 1st Leg. Insanity. “
Another added: “Luke Littler you are one hell of a person.”
After getting his first piece of silverware, Littler spoke in disbelief at what he had just accomplished.
“What did I do? You tell me. I don’t know. I’m happy to win,” Littler said.
“Early in the quarter, I hit nine darts against Nathan. I played well yesterday and I played well again tonight.
“No one will believe me, but I haven’t thrown a dart since the World Finals. Thursday was my first proper practice.
“Everything paid off. I’m just happy to win. Michael is still one of the best players. He’s the best. I’m really happy to win on my debut.
“This week has been unbelievable. The eight in the Premier League and the eight in the Asian qualifiers have been amazing as well. But I’m happy to have won.
“I haven’t set any specific goals for this year. I never thought I’d win this trophy this week. It’s great to be here, with great people and a big crowd.
“I’m just happy. I don’t have any goals this year, but I’m just going to see what my darts do.”
This article originally appeared in The Sun and is reprinted with permission.