"It's barely a couple of years since a 16-year-old Luke Littler and a 21-year-old Gian van Veen came through a 96-player field at Milton Keynes to qualify for the final of the world youth championship. There's a charming photo of the pair of them with their arms around each other, silly little smiles plastered on to their silly little faces, the cutest high-street haircuts you've ever seen. Two kids at the very start of an unforgettable journey."
"Did either of them foresee, in those sepia-tinted days of August 2023, that the journey would convey them this far, this fast? I reckon Littler did. There's never been much room for doubt and scepticism in there. His whole world has been stepping up, throwing a dart and watching it go exactly where he wants it to. Four months later, he would go to Alexandra Palace and change the sport for ever."
"And so, choose your fighter. The swaggering, vaping, 18-year-old god of darts with the crown on his head and the world at his feet. Or the shy, softly-spoken 23-year-old with the degree in aviation engineering and an inferiority complex that has taken him years to shake off. The born natural with the smooth, flowing action. Or the obsessive dartitis survivor with a throwing hand that looks like a crippled spider. Faith or science; self-confidence or self-knowledge. Littler or Van Veen."
Two young players, Luke Littler and Gian van Veen, emerged from a 96-player field to reach the world youth final. A photo captures their youthful camaraderie at the start of a remarkable journey. Littler displays unwavering self-belief, consistently hitting his targets and rapidly ascending to change the sport at Alexandra Palace. Van Veen shows realism born of doubt, misgiving, setbacks and renewal, and has learned not to take achievements for granted. The matchup contrasts Littler's swagger and natural throwing action with Van Veen's quieter resilience and recovery from dartitis. The semi-finals showcased their differing modes of progression and temperament.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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