Luke Littler has been recognised with a nomination for the prestigious Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award. He will go up against such sporting icons as Lando Norris for the award after a stellar 12 months for 'The Nuke'.
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Littler has had an outstanding 12 months in which he lifted six televised major titles which included becoming the World Champion for the first time and was crowned World No.1. He defended the Sid Waddell Trophy in January 2026 and has been shortlisted as such as in the World Breakthrough category.
He will battle Norris among others who is the reigning Formula One Driver's World Champion when the awards take place on Monday April 20. Whether he attends is another matter given that he will play in Liverpool in the Premier League Darts that week.
But thankfully for him ironically also given his ProTour exile, he will not have to play that week in that regard with only a European Tour the weekend before so he potentially will attend the ceremony.
Paris Saint-Germain and France midfielder Désiré Doué, Brazilian tennis player Joao Fonseca, Canadian basketballer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 12-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi are also among those who are on the shortlist.
He becomes the first darts player to be nominated for the World Youth Breakthrough of the Year Award which places him in esteemed company. Previous winners of the award include tennis icons such as Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz. Rory McIlroy is one of six golfers to claim the coveted prize.
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Luke Littler will be nominated for a Laureus award.
Lewis Hamilton who has won seven Formula One Drivers Championships won the award in 2008 with Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal who play for Real Madrid and Barcelona winning the award in recent years.
Littler continues to make his stunning breakthrough as darts continues to go on a tear throughout the sporting world and he makes history once more with yet another accolade whether he wins or not to add to the collection.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
Another slice of history for Luke Littler! 🙌
Luke has been nominated for the @LaureusSport World Breakthrough of the Year award!
A massive congratulations to the World Champion! 👏