From playing out of boredom to becoming WDF World Number One: The rise of teen darting talent Jenson Walker

The 19-year-old Jenson Walker has climbed to number one in the World Darts Federation (WDF) world rankings. Remarkably, the British student only started taking darts seriously when he was bored during the Covid pandemic. He is now knocking loudly on the door of the international elite.

Walker, an accountancy student at Coventry University and a university sports scholar, was officially confirmed last week as the new number one in the WDF rankings. His rapid rise follows strong results at international tournaments and multiple call-ups for PDC events. He has also already beaten world champion Luke Littler three times.

According to Walker, his rise was anything but straightforward. The young Englishman stresses that he was not a standout talent at the start. “Wasn't a natural,” he says speaking to the BBC. "At Christmas we would always watch the world championships on TV and we'd get the dartboard out of the loft and have a play."

That changed when the board stayed up after the holidays and the Covid pandemic hit. "One year it stayed up after Christmas and then the Covid pandemic hit so, through pure boredom, I started chucking and it spiralled from there.

After about a year, Walker noticed he was making progress. When the first lockdowns were over, he decided to enter youth tournaments for the first time.

"About a year on I started to realise I was decent at darts and when we came out of the first wave of lockdowns I entered a youth tournament. I was a steady player and as I hadn't played the game properly before I didn't feel any pressure."

His development then accelerated. Walker qualified for the 2025 WDF World Championship and reached the semi-finals at the first attempt. He also won the Romanian Open Classic, which firmly put him on the international map.

Notable in his young career are his clashes with Luke Littler, the two-time PDC world champion. Walker has known the English sensation for years and has faced him several times, including in the national team.

"Luke and I started at a very similar time. We've competed for the England team together and have had numerous battles – he's winning 5-3 currently and I'll take that at the moment!"

Despite his rapid rise, Walker continues to take his studies seriously. He is deliberately combining his sporting career with his accountancy degree. “It felt like the right time to combine my studies with darts,” he explains.

"It felt the right time to start my studies alongside my darts," he said. "The finances that were up for grabs last year in the sport meant I couldn't risk not putting all my effort into that, so I delayed starting in September and began in January. I'm ready for this now and it feels right."