I'm in for the breakthrough of the year—and I think I've broken through twice now
In the long arc of sport's expanding definition, a nineteen-year-old from the oche has arrived somewhere no darts player has stood before. Luke Littler's nomination for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award is less about a single young champion and more about a quiet reckoning — the moment an institution acknowledges what millions already knew. History rarely announces itself loudly; sometimes it arrives in Minehead, mid-tournament, with a hope of meeting a tennis player in Madrid.
- Littler becomes the first darts player ever shortlisted for the Laureus Awards, breaking a barrier that has held since the ceremony's founding.
- He competes for the honour against Formula One world champion Lando Norris and Champions League winner Desire Doue — the most decorated emerging talents across global sport.
- The 19-year-old two-time world champion learned of the nomination while actively defending another title, underlining just how relentless his rise has been.
- His personal ambition for the Madrid ceremony is disarmingly simple: meet Carlos Alcaraz, a tennis star he follows closely enough to have placed — and won — bets on.
- Darts, long positioned at the margins of mainstream sports discourse, now has a seat at the table the Laureus Awards represent.
Luke Littler has made history as the first darts player ever nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award — a distinction that places him alongside Formula One champion Lando Norris and PSG's Desire Doue on one of sport's most prestigious shortlists. The nineteen-year-old two-time world champion learned of his selection while defending his UK Open title in Minehead, and responded with the blend of humility and quiet confidence that has defined his rise.
The Laureus Awards, widely regarded as the Oscars of sport, have never before recognised a darts player among the year's most promising breakthroughs. Littler's nomination signals something larger than individual achievement — it suggests the voting body is expanding its view of what constitutes elite athletic emergence.
Beyond the honour itself, Littler has a personal motivation for the Madrid ceremony: meeting Carlos Alcaraz. A self-described serious tennis fan, he recalled watching Alcaraz face Djokovic at a Newcastle media day and noted that backing the Spaniard to win the Australian Open recently proved financially rewarding. Alcaraz, who won the Laureus Breakthrough Award in 2023 and is now nominated for World Sportsman of the Year, offers Littler something of a mirror — sustained excellence at a young age, recognised on the sport's grandest stages.
Announcing his nomination on Instagram, Littler called it a huge honour, while in Minehead he allowed himself a wry observation: 'I'm in for the breakthrough of the year — and I think I've broken through twice now.' Whether he wins the award or simply shakes hands with Alcaraz in Madrid, the significance is already settled. Darts has arrived.
Luke Littler has become the first darts player in history to earn a nomination for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award, a distinction that places him among the sport's most celebrated emerging talents. The nineteen-year-old two-time world champion learned of his selection while defending his UK Open title in Minehead, where he spoke openly about one unexpected hope: a chance to meet tennis star Carlos Alcaraz at the Madrid ceremony next month.
The Laureus Awards, often called the Oscars of sport, gather the world's most accomplished athletes across disciplines. Littler's nomination puts him in competition with Formula One world champion Lando Norris and Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League winner Desire Doue—formidable company in any field. What makes Littler's selection historic is simply that no one from darts has ever reached this shortlist before. The sport has produced champions and drawn millions of viewers, yet this is the first time the Laureus voting body has recognized a darts player among the year's most promising breakthroughs.
Littler describes himself as a serious tennis enthusiast, and his interest in Alcaraz goes beyond casual fandom. He recalled watching the Spanish player compete against Novak Djokovic at what he believes was a Newcastle media day, and that match proved profitable for him. When Alcaraz went on to win the Australian Open in recent months, Littler said the victory "won me some money"—a testament to how closely he follows the sport and, perhaps, how he manages his time away from the oche.
Alcaraz himself has deep roots in the Laureus ecosystem. The tennis champion won the Breakthrough of the Year Award in 2023 and has now been nominated for World Sportsman of the Year after capturing three major titles: the French Open, the US Open, and the Australian Open. His trajectory mirrors what Littler is experiencing now—the recognition that comes with sustained excellence at a young age across the sport's biggest stages.
When Littler announced his nomination on Instagram, he framed it with characteristic humility and awareness of its significance. "Being the first darts player to be nominated for the Laureus world breakthrough of the year award is a huge honour," he wrote. In Minehead, he leaned into the irony of his own achievement. "I'm in for the breakthrough of the year—and I think I've broken through twice now," he said, referencing his two world championships. He acknowledged he hadn't closely studied the full list of nominees, but expressed confidence that the field would be "loads of sport stars."
The Madrid ceremony next month will test whether darts, a sport with deep roots in British and European culture but often positioned outside mainstream sports discourse, can claim recognition at the highest levels of international athletic achievement. Littler's nomination suggests the conversation is shifting. Whether he takes home the award or simply uses the occasion to meet Alcaraz remains to be seen, but either way, the barrier has been broken. Darts now has a seat at the table.
Citas Notables
Being the first darts player to be nominated for the Laureus world breakthrough of the year award is a huge honour.— Luke Littler, on Instagram
I'm a big tennis fan and I think at the Newcastle media day that morning or the day before he won me some money against Djokovic.— Luke Littler, on Carlos Alcaraz
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What does it mean that Littler is the first darts player ever nominated for this award?
It signals that darts is finally being recognized at the same level as tennis, golf, football—the sports that typically dominate these conversations. For decades, darts has been hugely popular, especially in Britain, but it's existed in a separate category. This nomination says: not anymore.
Is Littler's interest in meeting Alcaraz just celebrity starstruck behavior, or is there something deeper there?
He's a genuine tennis fan who watches matches closely enough to place bets on them. When he says Alcaraz's Australian Open win earned him money, that's not throwaway talk—he was paying attention. Meeting Alcaraz at Madrid isn't about collecting a photo; it's about two young athletes at the top of their respective worlds recognizing each other.
Why does it matter that he won the UK Open while all this was happening?
Because it shows he's not distracted by the award machinery. He's still competing, still winning. The nomination is recognition of work already done, not a distraction from it.
What happens if darts doesn't win?
The nomination itself is the breakthrough. The award would be nice, but the real victory is that darts is now part of the conversation at all. That changes how the sport is perceived, how young players see their own potential.
Do you think he'll actually meet Alcaraz?
Probably. These ceremonies are designed for exactly that kind of encounter. Two young champions in the same room, both nominated, both at the peak of their sports. It would be surprising if they didn't find a moment to talk.