Luke Littler: Nine Other Teenage Sports Sensations | UK News

A 16-year-old from Warrington is teetering on the brink of becoming a world darts champion.

Luke Littler It could make history At Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night, he has already secured £200,000 in prize money – even if he does not beat world number one Luke Humphries in the final.

Nicknamed 'The Nuke', the teenager's electrifying performance saw him become the youngest player to reach the final and earned plaudits from his idol Phil 'The Power' Taylor.

he Swept away by darts legend Raymond van Barnevelda five-time world champion, secured a place in the quarter-finals – before beating Brendan Dolan of Northern Ireland to reach the semi-finals.

Littler is now one step closer to glory after sailing to it Victory over 2018 champion Rob Cross In the last four.

Over the years, many other teenage athletes have left us in awe — from Emma Raducano's shock win at the US Open in 2021 to the days of teenager Tom Daley in the 2000s and Pele in the 1960s.

Boris Becker

Boris Becker's long reign as one of the greats of international tennis began in 1985 when he was just 17 years old.

His victory at the All England Club that year made him the youngest player to win the men's singles title in Wimbledon history.

He went on to win 49 major titles, including six Grand Slam titles, earning him world No. 1 in 1991.

Becker won Wimbledon three times in the 1980s, as well as the Australian and US Opens – and an Olympic gold in Barcelona in 1992.

In subsequent years, he struggled with financial and tax concerns, and was eventually sentenced to prison for failing to declare assets worth £2.5 million and was deported to his native Germany upon his release in December 2022.

Wilfred Benitez

Wilfred “Radar” Benitez became the youngest world champion in boxing history when he beat Antonio Cervantes at just 17 years old in March 1976.

He turned professional at the age of fifteen and was managed by his father, Gregorio Benitez. He and his brothers Frankie and Gregory were from one of Puerto Rico's prominent boxing families, finding their success through New York City.

His 1976 win saw him capture the light welterweight and light welterweight titles.

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After about 10 years, doctors discovered that he had suffered nerve damage in the ring and urged him to retire.

Because of his determination to continue, he was forced to fight abroad after he was banned from competing by several American states.

Today he suffers from dementia and his family members take care of him at home.

Skye Brown

Skye Brown became Great Britain's youngest ever Olympian and medal winner when she claimed bronze in the women's park skating event at the postponed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Although she fell on her first two attempts, she made it to the third podium at just 13 years and 28 days old.

With a British father and Japanese mother, Brown splits her time between Miyazaki and California – but has made the decision to compete for Team GB.

Since receiving her Olympic medal, she has won the X Games and the Park event at the 2023 World Skateboarding Championships to become the first British female skateboarding world champion.

Her younger brother Ocean Brown is also a talented skater.

Tom Daly

Tom Daly started diving at the age of seven in his hometown of Plymouth and began competing nationally and internationally at the age of nine.

He was the youngest Olympian for Team Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, aged 14, but failed to medal in the 10m or synchro events.

That year he won gold at the British and European Championships – and took gold at the World Championships the following year.

He was called the “poster boy” for the 2012 London Games, where he won bronze in the 10m.

Daly has spoken regularly about the pressures of being a young sports star in the public eye.

It wasn't until the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo that he finally achieved his career goal of winning an Olympic gold medal with partner Matty Lee.

Katie Ledecky

Still only 26 years old, American swimmer Katie Ledecky is one of the most decorated swimmers in history.

By the end of her teens, she had five Olympic gold medals and nine World Championship titles.

She began swimming at the age of six, and made her international debut at the 2012 London Olympics at the age of 15 when she surprised spectators and coaches by winning gold in the women's 800m freestyle.

She won four golds and two silvers and held two world records when she competed in Rio 2016 four years later.

Ledecky still holds several world records, having achieved her first fastest 1500m freestyle at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona at the age of 16.

Firstly

After a record-breaking career, Pelé was considered one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.

At the age of 15, his coach told club directors in his native São Paulo that he would become “the greatest footballer in the world.”

A year later, he became the top scorer in the Brazilian National League, which led to him being called up to the national team.

In 1958, at the age of 17, he led his country to victory in the World Cup by scoring a hat-trick in the semi-final and two goals in the final.

He eventually scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches, a Guinness World Record.

Emma Raducano

Emma Raducano, from Bromley in south London, first made her name as a wildcard participant at Wimbledon in June 2021.

At just 18 years old, she became the youngest British player and only the fourth British teenager in the Open Era to reach the last 16 of a tournament.

She impressed with her defeat to Sorana Cirstea – but was forced to retire in the fourth round against Ajla Tomljanovic due to breathing problems.

Then ranked 150th in the world, she made her way into the main draw of the US Open that fall.

She became the first British woman to reach the final since Virginia Wade in 1968, and did not drop a set on her way to winning the tournament outright.

This has seen it jump 332 places in the world rankings from its position at the start of the year to 23rd.

She won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in December that year, and has since secured lucrative sponsorship deals from Nike, Dior, British Airways and Tiffany & Co.

Ronnie O'Sullivan

Nicknamed 'The Rocket', Ronnie O'Sullivan turned professional at the age of 16 in 1992, having won a match in just 43 minutes during his debut season.

A year later, he became the youngest ever winner of the UK Snooker Championship when he beat fellow teenager Stephen Hendry. At the age of nineteen he also obtained the title of Master.

Two years ago, he ended his career by becoming the oldest winner of the same tournament for which he broke the record when he was 16 years old.

Characterized by his attacking style and emotional outbursts, O'Sullivan is considered one of the greatest snooker players of all time.

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar was encouraged to take up cricket at the age of eleven as a way out of trouble at school.

Now considered one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen, he broke records by being the youngest player to make his debut for India in both Test and One Day International cricket at the age of sixteen.

He remains the leading run scorer in Test and ODI cricket.

He worked as a ball boy during the 1987 Cricket World Cup semi-final between England and Bombay.

At the end of his teenage years, he made history when he was selected to play for Yorkshire. The prestigious club has never selected a player from outside the county before – let alone England.

He rose to captain the Indian national team and enjoyed great success domestically with Mumbai.