"Van Gerwen looks up to Luke, What he's doing now is unprecedented": World Championship sensation makes striking comment about rivals being in awe of Luke Littler
PDCThursday, 09 July 2026 at 15:30
Justin Hood enjoyed the breakthrough moment of his career at last year's World Darts Championship. The Englishman became a fan favourite at Alexandra Palace and suddenly found himself as much more than just a familiar name on the ProTour.
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Since his impressive run, his life has changed completely. In an extensive interview, Hood reflected on the enormous impact of his World Championship success, spoke about the financial rewards of his performances, revealed his dream of opening his own Chinese restaurant, and lavished praise on world champion Luke Littler. This after he admitted last week, he might have to change his nickname.
According to Hood, it feels as though his life has been turned upside down in just a matter of weeks. "Yeah, it's been a whirlwind since the Worlds. It's gone from nothing to getting hundreds of messages a day. It's nice, but it's a lot to get used to, and I'm starting to come out the other side of it now and producing good stuff again," said Hood to Oche180.
Although Hood impressed on stage during the World Championship, another topic proved almost as popular: his ambition to one day open his own Chinese restaurant. He can now laugh at the fact that this story took on a life of its own. "90% of it was the Chinese restaurant, and that's still the aim. In the next year or two we want one. So yeah, hopefully we can get one."
Recognised everywhere after World Championship breakthrough
Where Hood used to be able to practise in peace, things are very different these days. Since his World Championship breakthrough, he is recognised almost everywhere he goes and regularly approached by fans.
As a result, he has altered his preparation also in a bid to avoid the intense limelight it brought.
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"It's been a 360 since the Worlds, literally the day after we got back. It's hard to go out and practise now because people want to talk to you, which is fine. I'll never say no to anyone, but when you're out for a serious practice it's hard now. So I've got to limit what I do and when I go out. I go to my mate's house now to practise more than going out to a pub, which I'm not a massive fan of.
"I've grown up in a pub and it's where I do most of my practice, but I'm hoping the novelty of seeing me on telly will wear off and I can go back out and do what I've got to do.
Justin Hood celebrating after making it to the PDC World Darts Championship quarter-finals
'The prize money changed our lives'
The World Championship also brought Hood a significant financial reward. However, he is quick to point out that many people misunderstand what happens to a large cheque shown on television. Even so, that amount made a huge difference.
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"For me and my missus it was still life-changing. We had to give a lot away. Obviously you've got your management fees and then you've got your tax, and that £100,000 probably dwindled down to about £30,000. But it's still, for us, a £30,000 injection that we never had before. I can play this year with no pressure of, "I've got to win this game to pay my rent," and it's a nice feeling. But I want more. I want to win the Worlds."
Interestingly, Hood does not consider his own performances to be his favourite memory of the tournament.
"Luke Littler winning it. I've always been the same, whether I win or lose I'm going to be the same person, and I'm happy with what I've done. I could have done more. Gary was class and he beat me, but Luke winning it was my highlight."
According to Hood, Littler has changed the darts world forever, not only for himself, but for every professional player. Beyond his achievements on the oche, Hood reserved special praise for Littler's character.
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"He's made players like myself, and even players like Nathan Aspinall, into celebrities really. What he's done for it... people recognise us now. Before you'd get the odd one down your local club. Now you can't go shopping without people knowing who you are. It's because of Luke, and we can't thank him enough.
"He's such a nice kiddie. He gets a lot of bad flak for how good he is, same as what Phil got and Michael got when they were in their pomp. He's better than both of them. He's the best, and if he keeps going he will be the best player we've ever seen."
According to Hood, Littler has now become the benchmark for the entire PDC Tour. He believes Littler's dominance is driving standards across the sport.
"The thing is with what we're doing now, he's made a rod for his own back because he's that good and he's that dominant. He's earned the money where he can turn around and be like, "I don't need this now." But I think deep down he's got that hunger to be the best, and I think he'll go on and do it.
"People should rally behind him. You always need that player. When Phil was doing it, and Michael, you need that player to aim at. So me now, and everyone else on tour, when you look at Luke, he's the boss. He's the kiddie. He is. You need that dominant player because it pushes our game up.
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"If it was Humphries will win that, Gerwyn Price will win that, Michael van Gerwen will win that, it'd be like everyone can share them. Luke's dominating this year. He's lost one ranking event this year. He's lost one game. It's scary how good he is, and he's 19 years old.
"But you need someone like him to push us, and he's the reason I'm doing what I'm doing now. Everyone's like, "He must look up to you because you're nearly 40." But no, we all look up to Luke. Everyone looks up to Luke. I don't care what they say. Van Gerwen looks up to Luke. What he's doing now is unprecedented.
"We've never seen anyone dominate this early in their career. Taylor did it, but he had four or five years before he won Worlds. Luke's been in every World Final he's competed in in the PDC. It's scary how good he is and how good he's going to be."
Luke Littler won the last two editions of the World Darts Championship
Can he break Phil Taylor's record?
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Asked whether Littler could one day equal or surpass Phil Taylor's record of 16 world titles, Hood barely needed to think.
"He's the only one it's possible for. He could win 20 in a row if he wants... unless he plays me. Coming for you, Luke!
He then turned serious again. "But no, he's the best player I've ever seen. I've stood behind Phil and watched him throw. Michael van Gerwen's prime was unbelievable. Littler is another. He's an animal. He is something we've never seen, and I don't think we'll ever see again."
Hood also highlighted several other young talents. "Mitchell Lawrie's amazing and he's going to do big things. Kaya Baysal... what's his name? He's another player that's amazing, world-class and he's going to do big things. But Luke Littler is the best I've ever seen and will be the best I've ever seen when I retire."
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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.
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