Luke Littler aiming to join elite group of just four darts legends by winning World Matchplay to complete triple crown
The World No.2 picked up a Premier League title back in 2024 and followed it up by
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Luke Littler admits he is focused on becoming a triple crown champion at the World Matchplay
Credit: Getty
'The Nuke' now needs to win the iconic major at the
Winter
Gardens to add his name to another list of icons.
Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, and most recently Luke Humphries are the only four players to have completed the prestigious feat.
Taylor, 16-times world champion, is still the only player to have completed the 'Triple Crown' in a singular darting season.
Teen sensation Littler is focused on making sure he picks up that first-round win against Ryan Searle on Sunday to start his path for what would be another history-making victory.
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He said: 'I am looking forward to going back.
'Obviously my debut didn't go how I wanted it to go, a tough first round against Michael.
'I am just looking forward to that first game and getting a win at the iconic Matchplay.
'It definitely motivates me to try and get the win and try and go far in what has been an up-and-down season so far.
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'Hopefully I can just win that first game and see what goes on from there – I just want to get a win at the
Winter
Gardens.'
He added: 'The World Cup did not go to plan for me and Luke [Humphries]. It was tough conditions that we couldn't do much about, but now the Matchplay, you are on your own, not in a team, and can battle it out with the best in the world.
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'The Matchplay is a different breed and it is going to be tough if I want to go all the way.
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'If I win it, I join that 'Triple Crown' group, so that is obviously what I am focusing on – win the Matchplay and then I will have all three.
'I didn't even realise properly that the 'Triple Crown' was a thing, I thought it was another major added to the list.
'But with only Luke, Phil, Michael, and Gary doing it, it would be a massive achievement.'
List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year.
The list does
not
include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once - Barney also won four BDO titles - and none of Eric Bristow's five BDO titles are included.
1994 - Dennis Priestley
1995 - Phil Taylor
1996 - Phil Taylor (2)
1997 - Phil Taylor (3)
1998 - Phil Taylor (4)
1999 - Phil Taylor (5)
2000 - Phil Taylor (6)
2001 - Phil Taylor (7)
2002 - Phil Taylor (8)
2003 - John Part
2004 - Phil Taylor (9)
2005 - Phil Taylor (10)
2006 - Phil Taylor (11)
2007 - Raymond van Barneveld
2008 - John Part (2)
2009 - Phil Taylor (12)
2010 - Phil Taylor (13)
2011 - Adrian Lewis
2012 - Adrian Lewis (2)
2013 - Phil Taylor (14)
2014 - Michael van Gerwen
2015 - Gary Anderson
2016 - Gary Anderson (2)
2017 - Michael van Gerwen (2)
2018 - Rob Cross
2019 - Michael van Gerwen (3)
2020 - Peter Wright
2021 - Gerwyn Price
2022 - Peter Wright (2)
2023 - Michael Smith
2024 - Luke Humphries
2025 - Luke Littler
Most World Titles
14 - Phil Taylor
3 - Michael van Gerwen
2 - John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
1 - Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
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