Luke Littler is the youngest winner of the World Darts Championship at the age of 17 (Image: GETTY)
became the youngest winner in the history of the with an incredible 7-3 victory over in the final at Alexandra Palace.
The 17-year-old managed to put things right a year after losing at the hands of and was duly rewarded with the biggest prize in darts and a £500,000 payday.
It was shaping up to be a closely-fought battle between two heavyweights of the sport, but it quickly became apparent there was no stopping Littler from getting his hands on the Sid Waddell Trophy.
The result marked the latest and greatest milestone in his meteoric rise to prominence, which began just over a year ago when his stunning debut on the big stage captivated the world.
Littler broke down in tears immediately after hitting the winning dart (Image: PA)
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Both players looked nervous at the start of the match, but it was Littler who laid down an early marker by breaking Van Gerwen in the opening leg. He went on to draw first blood by winning the set, checking out 80 with his final two darts.
Another break of throw in set two helped Littler to double his advantage without dropping a single leg. He managed to settle his nerves before Van Gerwen had found his rhythm, with the Dutchman struggling to fire on all cylinders.
He had the opportunity to break throw in the next set, but inexplicably missed three darts at D20. Littler was quick to punish his mistakes by wrapping up the next two sets, with the contest turning into a one-sided rout.
The teenager nailed his first ton-plus finish in set five before Van Gerwen finally got on the board, checking out 132 to give himself a glimmer of hope. The tide quickly turned, though, as Littler delivered the goods in the next set to restore his big advantage.
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Where to buy Luke Littler’s darts
Luke Littler is heading to the latter stages of the WDC, and you can emulate the 17-year-old with a set of his Target G1 Swiss Point darts for £99.95. You can also upgrade to the gold Prodigy darts for £129.95.
There is also a more affordable Loadout 90% Tungsten darts for £45.90. If you need something to throw them at, Amazon has reduced the Luke Littler Cabinet & Dartboard Set to £59.99.
Van Gerwen continued to flounder on the doubles but had a brief resurgence in the sixth set, edging a decisive leg with some impressive throwing under pressure.
It did not take long for normal service to resume, with Littler whitewashing Van Gerwen again to put himself within one set of world domination.
The 35-year-old showed plenty of determination to fire back at the next opportunity, but it merely delayed the inevitable with Littler ultimately wrapping up the match to write his name into the history books.
He immediately burst into tears after nailing D16 to win, barely believing what he had just achieved. It was the perfect way to achieve his lifelong dream, with nobody expecting it to be as one-sided as it turned out to be.