04 January 2024 , 16:02
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Luke Littler defied the odds with his performances at the PDC World Championships - and now the teenager has defied the sceptics over his age too.
Littler's stunning run at the Alexandra Palace fell agonisingly short of the fairytale ending he was seemingly destined for, losing 7-4 to world No.1 Luke Humphries in Wednesday night's final. Regardless, the Runcorn-born star is suddenly considered one of the biggest stars in his sport, with his £200,000 runners-up cheque exceeding his entire career earnings to date.
His semi-final win over Rob Cross also seemingly guaranteed him a place in the record books as the sport's youngest ever world finalist. And yet, partly due to his appearance and facial hair - and mostly because of his sensational form - there were conspiracy theorists questioning his age of 16-years-old.
On the eve of his clash with Humphries though, which the youngster would lose 7-4, social media put the debate to bed. A copy of his birth certificate emerged online, officially produced by North Cheshire Hospitals, confirming he was born on January 21, 2007.
Indeed, the confirmation of his age left fans in disbelief. Despite the proof, some users still shared their thoughts with one writing on social media: "Looks like he is 42."
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That document was posted by @TalkTV, and followed a family member saying that those jealous of Littler's meteoric rise had previously made false claims about his birth date: "'Some years ago when he was winning everything, other parents of young players started a rumour he was lying about his age," Leanne Seddon, a cousin of Littler's mum, told reporters.
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Luke Littler celebrates victory in the semi-final against Rob Cross (PA Wire)"To enter a competition you have to give proof of age, but that didn't stop them. It was pure jealousy and nastiness by adults attacking a young teenager on social media. To stop the hate his parents posted proof of his age back then.
"And yes again there are some who are saying they seriously think he's lying. Whether they really believe that or not I don't know. Some just like to say outlandish stuff on social media for attention, a laugh, or to cause trouble or hate."
Darts fans searched social media platforms in a bid to try and find evidence that Littler's entry was in any way fraudulent - and they thought they'd uncovered something when they found a tweet from 2014 by car repairs service Autobutler.
It read "We welcome Luke Littler, an experienced mechanic to out team here at Autobutler, so that we can continue to offer an amazing service", with users quick to point out he would only have been seven-years-old at the time.
The post of course, related to a different Littler and not the newest star in darts. Indeed, in the earlier rounds at the Ally Pally, he was serenaded by the crowd with jovial taunts of "you've got school in the morning," a song he later claimed to enjoy hearing at the oche.