Łukasz Małyr he will soon learn about his opponent PDC World Darts Championships when Fallon Sherrock faces Ryan Meikle. But in the last hour, this extraordinary talent suffered a heartbreaking defeat and victory in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.
Littler won the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award after reaching the final of the biggest event in sport at the age of 16, winning 10 senior trophies that year and becoming a global phenomenon.
“It shows how well I have done this year, but knowing that I have changed the sport of darts along with other professionals, but I have played a big part in that,” Littler told the BBC.
“I know the number of academies that have been established, how big this sport is. Tickets for Ally Pally sell out within hours and the Premier League also sells out quickly. This shows how much I have changed it. “
However, like Phil Taylor in 2010, he finished second. ‘The Power’ advised him against attending the awards ceremony in Manchester, claiming he only did so because he had won 15 world titles and that if he were Littler he would focus solely on Ally Pally.
Ultimately, he lost in the public vote to the queen of British athletics, Keely Hodgkinson. The 22-year-old, who won gold at the Paris Olympics over the summer, was the favorite all along when the nominations were announced after finally winning gold in the 800m this summer.
However, for Littler it is another success and another distinction. It’s a sport that isn’t often celebrated in an annual awards ceremony. Littler, he said, showed why he changed the sport of darts. Now he will focus on the Ally Pally title fight against either Sherrock or Meikle on Saturday evening.
