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The remarkable emergence of 16-year-old Luke Littler at the PDC Darts World Championship in London is set to be one of the most talked-about sports stories of the year. He is already a strong contender for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in December, joining the ranks of other teenage sporting prodigies.
Pelé
Pelé, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, scored in all the elimination rounds, helping Brazil secure their first victory in the men’s football World Cup in Sweden in 1958. At the young age of 17, Pelé went on to become the most outstanding player of his generation and a crucial member of the Brazilian teams that also won the trophy in 1962 and 1970. His exuberant and fearless style of play was complemented by a charming personality off the field, and in 2000 he was jointly named Fifa’s player of the century alongside Argentina’s Diego Maradona.
Nadia Comăneci
Nadia Comăneci from Romania rose to fame when she amazed the audience at the Montreal Olympics at the age of 14 by scoring a perfect 10 on both the uneven bars and the balance beam. This was an unprecedented achievement and the scoreboards were not equipped to display it, as it was thought to be impossible. Comăneci won three individual gold medals, one individual bronze medal, and one team silver medal in her debut Olympic performance. She went on to win two more gold medals at the Moscow Olympics in 1980.
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson’s personality away from the ring and later conviction for rape mark him out as a completely different sporting personality to many of those on this list lauded as heroes, but he undoubtedly made an impact on his sport as a young fighter. In November 1986, less than two years after his first professional fight, Tyson was crowned WBC heavyweight champion of the world, the youngest person ever to win a title bout at 20 years and four months.
Tiger Woods
Similar to Tyson, Tiger Woods did not attain the ultimate success in his sport as a teen, but he was on track to do so. He became a professional at 20 years old in 1996 and by the end of April the following year, he became the youngest ever to win the US Masters. This achievement barely surpassed Jordan Spieth, who also won the title at 21 years old in 2015, but at a slightly older age than Woods had been.
Abhimanyu Mishra
The topic of darts is often accompanied by the question, “But is it considered a sport?” This same question can also be applied to chess, where there have been younger prodigies than Littler. For instance, Bobby Fischer won his first US open chess championship at the age of 14. In 2021, Abhimanyu Mishra made history by becoming the youngest grandmaster in chess at only 12 years and four months old.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Reworded: Snooker is a sport that values intelligence and precision, and Ronnie O’Sullivan has been a dominant player for many years. He made his mark in the sport at the young age of 15 by achieving a 147 maximum break at the 1991 English amateur championship. Despite his long career, he continues to excel, setting a new record as the oldest winner in 2023 at the age of 47 years and 363 days when he won his eighth UK championship title.
Boris Becker and Martina Hingis
From 1976 to 1984, the Wimbledon gentlemen’s singles was dominated by Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe. However, in 1985, Boris Becker made a significant breakthrough by becoming the first unseeded player to win the title at the age of 17.
Ten years later, Martina Hingis amazed the tennis community. At the age of 15 years and 9 months, she became the youngest grand slam champion ever with her doubles victory at Wimbledon in 1996 alongside Helena Suková. Just a year later, she also became the youngest female player to reach the top ranking as the world’s number one.
Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney
Two teenage prodigies stepped up for the England men’s football team, scoring crucial goals in quick succession. At the 1998 World Cup, 18-year-old Michael Owen became a star with a remarkable solo goal in England’s loss to Argentina. Similarly, Wayne Rooney, also in his late teens, emerged as England’s top scorer during their journey to the quarter-finals at Euro 2004. However, the admiration they once received is a distant memory now as Owen is primarily known for his unenthusiastic approach to sports analysis and disinterest in movies. Meanwhile, Rooney is recovering from being fired this week as manager of Birmingham City after a disastrous stint.
Emma Raducanu
Littler may want to take note of the story of Emma Raducanu as a potential cautionary tale. The 18-year-old tennis player from Britain made history in 2021 by becoming the first qualifier, regardless of gender, to win a grand slam singles title at the US Open. However, she has not been able to achieve similar success in other tournaments and has faced injuries and harsh criticism from figures like Piers Morgan. After an eight-month break, Raducanu is currently getting ready for the Australian Open.
Katie Ledecky
Littler may prefer to pursue a career path similar to Katie Ledecky rather than that of Radacanu or Rooney. At the 2012 London Olympics, Ledecky shocked the world by winning the 800-meter freestyle swimming gold medal at just 15 years old, coming close to breaking a world record in the process. She has since gone on to win six more Olympic gold medals and 21 gold medals at world championships, making her the most decorated female swimmer of all time. With Littler excelling in a sport where one can compete at a high level well into their 50s, he may surpass all other athletes in terms of world titles.
