After Luke Littler became the youngest world champion in darts history at the age of 17, we take a look back at some of the sport’s most successful teenage stars.
Boris Becker (tennis)
Like Littler, Becker won his sport’s most prestigious tournament at the age of 17, winning Wimbledon in 1985 to become the youngest men’s singles champion at the All England Club.
The German successfully defended his title a year later and won it again in 1989, and after successes at the Australian Open in 1991 and 1996 and the US Open in 1989, he finished his career with six Grand Slam titles. It’s closed.
Becker also became world number one in 1991.
Sky Brown (skateboarding)
Skateboarder Sky Brown won two Olympic bronze medals for Great Britain as a teenager.
Brown became Britain’s youngest Olympian and medal winner when she won bronze in the women’s park skateboarding event at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Despite failing in her first two attempts, she reached the podium for the third time at the age of just 13 years and 28 days. She then won another bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the age of 16.
Brown also won the X Games and park events at the 2023 World Skateboarding Championships, becoming Britain’s first skateboarding world champion.
Tom Daley (diving)
Daley began diving at age 7 and began competing nationally and internationally at age 9. He was Team GB’s youngest Olympian at the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the age of 14, but failed to win a medal in the 10m or synchro events.
That year he won gold medals at the British and European Championships, and the World Championships the following year.
Tom Daley was GB’s youngest Olympian at the age of 14 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
He was the so-called ‘poster boy’ at the 2012 London Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the 10m event, but it was not until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that he finally achieved his career goal of winning an Olympic gold medal with partner Matty. Mr. Lee.
Katie Ledecky (swimming)
By his late teens, Ledecky had won five Olympic gold medals and nine world championship titles.
She began swimming at the age of six and made her international debut at the age of 15 when she wowed spectators and coaches by winning gold in the women’s 800m freestyle at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Four years later, she competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and won four gold medals, two silver medals, and two world records.
Still just 27 years old, Ledecky won four medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, bringing her Olympic medal total to 14.
Swimmer Katie Ledecky burst onto the scene at the London 2012 Olympics at the age of 15.
Wilfred Benitez (boxing)
Wilfred ‘El Radar’ Benitez became the youngest world champion in boxing history when he defeated Antonio Cervantes in March 1976 at the age of 17.
He turned professional at the age of 15 and was managed by his father, Gregorio Benitez. He and his brothers Frankie and Gregory came from a prominent Puerto Rican boxing family and found success through New York City.
His 1976 win earned him both the light welterweight and lineal light welterweight titles.
first (football)
Pele won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958 at the age of 17.
After a record-breaking career, Pele was considered one of the greatest sportsmen of the 20th century.
At the age of 15, his coach told club directors in his hometown of Sao Paulo that he would become “the greatest football player in the world.” A year later, he became Brazil’s top scorer and was called up to the national team.
In 1958, as a 17-year-old, he inspired his country to World Cup victory with a hat-trick in the semi-final and two goals in the final.
Wayne Gretzky (ice hockey)
Gretzky debuted for the Edmonton Oilers in the 1979/80 season and became the first teenage player to score 50 goals in a season. ‘The Great One’ went on to score the most points in NHL history, with 2,857 to date.
He is the only NHL player to total more than 200 points in a season, a feat he has accomplished four times.
Ronnie O’Sullivan (snooker)
O’Sullivan turned professional in 1992 at the age of 16, winning in just 43 minutes in his debut season.
A year later he became the youngest ever winner of the British Snooker Championship at the age of 17, and also won the Masters title at 19.
Ronnie O’Sullivan appeared in snooker in his teens and 40s.
Lockett later became the oldest winner of each sport’s Triple Crown event, winning the World Championship at age 46, the British Championship at age 47, and the Masters at age 48.
Characterized by his attacking style and emotional outbursts, O’Sullivan is regarded as one of the greatest snooker players of all time and has now won 41 ranking titles, including seven World Championships at The Crucible.
That longevity is something Littler will certainly aspire to.
Sachin Tendulkar (cricket)
Tendulkar was encouraged to start playing cricket at 11 as a means of getting out of trouble at school.
Now considered one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the sport, he set a record by becoming the youngest player to debut for India in Test and one-day international cricket at the age of 16.
He remains the leading scorer in Test and ODI cricket.
Towards the end of his teenage years, he made history when he was selected to play for Yorkshire. The prestigious club side had never before selected a player from outside the county, let alone England.
Michael Phelps (swimming)
Swimmer Phelps won six Olympic gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics at the age of 19, including the 100 and 200 meter butterfly, 200 and 400 meter medley, and two relays.
The American won eight gold medals in Beijing 2008 and four more in London 2012, along with 22 overall Olympic medals and 26 World Championship medals.
