Luke Humphries Wins World Darts Championship 2024

Luke Humphries beat teenage sensation Luke Littler in the WDC finals.

Luke Humphries, 28, wins the Paddy Power World Darts Championship 2024 on 3rd January after beating teenager Luke Littler in his debut.

Both players put up an incredible fight in the finals at Alexandra Palace, London, with Humphries ultimately securing a 7-4 win against the 16-year-old sensation.

Humphries falls to his knees after his 7-4 win. [The Guardian]

There was plenty of excitement after Tuesday's semifinals, with Humphries thrashing Scott Williams by 7-0, and Littler's triumph over Rob Cross becoming the most-watched game of darts in history, with a peak of 2.32 million viewers.

At the beginning of the match, it seemed to be a close tie between the two finalists. When one player began to miss their targets, the other scored with perfect precision, and then the roles would reverse. Both players seemed evenly matched.

However, Littler began outperforming his opponent towards the middle of the game, securing leg after leg when Humphries failed to. This resulted in a 4-2 lead for the teenager (who has become the youngest player to reach a WDC final).

A record thirty four 180s were scored during the match, 23 of which came from Humphries. The 7th leg became a turning point for the 28-year-old, with Littler losing too many legs to his own throw, and even knocking two of his own darts off the board with his third throw.

Humphries' play, on the other hand, kept getting better and better, with him winning every set from then on.

Eventually in the last leg of the game, Humphries was left with a double eight, which he secured despite the fact that his hand was "shaking like mad".

Upon realising he had won, Humphries fell to his knees with tears in his eyes before rushing to hug his family. His impressive performance throughout the tournament has earnt him the Sid Waddell Trophy.

In a post match interview, the 28-year-old described how "fortunate" he felt to have become this year's World Darts Champion:

"I honestly can't put into words how great this feels," he said. "I'm World Champion and World No.1; I can't ask for more. I really can't."

He added that Littler was a "relentless" opponent, who he believes is "gonna win plenty for sure".

In addition to the championship title, Humphries has also recieved a cheque for £500,000.

Despite being frustrated at losing this match, Luke Littler said he was still proud of his performance:

"Fair play to Luke [Humphries], he deserved it...

"I'm happy: top 32, runner-up on my debut. It's unbelievable," he said.

The 16-year-old from Cheshire has captivated audiences across the globe, not just for his skill at darts, but also because of his post-victory food celebrations (a kebab and a bottle of Fanta) and relatable love for playing on his Xbox.

When asked about his ambitions for the future, he said he just wanted to "see what happens" next year:

"I might not get to go to a final for another 5-10 years, we don't know, but I can say I'm runner-up. Now I want to go and win it."

Humphries has similar ambitions:

"I've done everything that was on the resume," he said. "Now it's about motivating myself to do more: I want to be a double world champion and win loads of majors."