- Littler enjoyed a dream World Championship debut last year as a 16-year-old
- ‘The Nuke’ reached the final at Alexandra Palace before losing to Luke Humphries
- Littler is hopeful he will be able to smash a record held by Van Gerwen
Darts sensation Luke Littler has revealed he has set his sights on breaking Michael van Gerwen’s record for being the youngest winner of the PDC World Championships.
The 17-year-old will head into next month’s World Championships among the favourites at Alexandra Palace.
Littler enjoyed a dream run at the tournament last year, when as a 16-year-old he became an overnight star by advancing through the rounds to reach the final.
He would ultimately fall one step short of claiming the world title, falling to a 7-4 defeat to Luke Humphries in the final.
Littler will head into this year’s World Championships following a superb year, where he became just the fourth player after Van Gerwen, Phil Taylor and Peter Wright to win 10 or more titles in a single season.
‘The Nuke’ admits he has set his sights on breaking Van Gerwen’s record as the youngest world champion.
Luke Littler hopes to break Michael van Gerwen’s record as the youngest PDC world champion
Van Gerwen claimed the first of his three world titles at the age of 24 back in 2014
Littler said it would ‘mean everything’ to break Van Gerwen’s record and has seven years to do so
‘I know Michael van Gerwen holds the youngest at 24,’ Littler told Sky Sports.
‘So I’ve got seven years, I could just slouch about for six years and just win it when I’m 24.
‘I’d obviously like to win it before Michael won it, it would mean everything to be the youngest, that’s definitely what I’m looking for.’
Littler backed up his run to the World Championship final with a stunning season, which has seen him triumph at several major events.
The 17-year-old claimed the Premier League Darts title on his debut, as well as winning the Grand Slam of Darts and World Series Finals.
Littler is considered among the favourites to win at Alexandra Palace and he believes his game is in the right place to triumph.
‘I got the runner-up on my first go, but yeah, I’d like to win it,’ Littler said.
‘Obviously, everyone wants to win it, but that’s why my game is at the minute, I think I can win it.’
The World Championships are set to begin on December 15 and will run until January 3.