What Luke Littler’s girlfriend did after £1m World Championship win | Other | Sport
Luke Littler’s girlfriend, Faith Millar, was visibly emotional as the teenage darts superstar clinched a £1million prize by capturing the World Championship crown. The “Nuke,” who celebrates his 19th birthday later this month, entered Alexandra Palace determined to retain the title he had won nearly a year prior with a decisive 7-3 triumph over Michael van Gerwen.
The world No. 1 was in dominant form throughout the competition, sweeping aside Darius Labanauskas, David Davies and Mensur Suljovic in the opening rounds before defeating Rob Cross, Krzysztof Ratajski and Ryan Searle to secure his spot in the final.
His opponent was Dutch up-and-comer Gian van Veen, who had navigated challenging encounters against the likes of Luke Humphries and Gary Anderson to reach the championship match. Yet the 23-year-old proved no match for Littler, who produced a clinical 7-1 victory in Saturday night’s finale.
With this achievement, Littler became the first player to secure consecutive World Championship titles since Anderson accomplished the feat a decade ago. The moment proved deeply moving, with the champion collapsing to his knees in tears whilst Faith was also spotted crying in the crowd.
The scenes demonstrated Faith’s unwavering support for her partner, with whom she has been romantically involved since last March. She also accompanied the now two-time champion onto the stage as he raised his trophy aloft.
Following his victory, Littler said: “It feels amazing. First of all thanks to John McDonald and John Noble, what a fantastic career they have had.
“In my first year Russ Bray retired, now these two legends! I’m a bit late to the party! I’ve been wanting to say this. Everyone knows what happened with Anthony Joshua and his guy and his team and his friends.
“But just like AJ said, ‘The first time was so nice, I had to do it twice!’ I started playing better from the second set. The first set, I wasn’t happy going into the break but I had to kick on from there.
“I said to myself, ‘Give it time, you will find it.’ I started off from the left of the oche and moved over to the right. It all came to plan. Gian, what a tournament, he can be very happy. Every set he was there and behind me. I had to take my chances.”
When questioned about nerves during the final, Littler added: “You just can’t think of it too much. You have to keep going and I’ve done it.
“It is life-changing. Even for this tournament, the first round was doubled. This win has increased that gap from Luke Humphries and I’m in the clear for No 1.”
Meanwhile, Van Veen was quick to praise Littler after his runner-up finish at the World Championship. He explained: “He definitely wasn’t in the mood to give me any more chances.
“He played phenomenal. He put me under pressure every leg, every set, and I missed too many chances today to make it a game. He’s a fantastic player which is why he’s world number one by a margin now.
“That’s why he’s back-to-back world champion. I would have liked to pick up the title, but I would have liked to give Luke a game and that’s what I didn’t do.
“I lost too many legs and I missed too many chances. Looking back at this tournament, I’m very proud to have got to the final. Number three in the world and the Dutch number one. I’m very proud of this achievement but also disappointed.”
