Luke Littler appeared to express his frustration on social media after leaving the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony without any silverware last night.
The teenage darts prodigy, who chose not to attend the glitzy event in Salford, took to Instagram following the broadcast to share his thoughts.
Littler wrote: “Thanks to everyone who voted for me tonight, appreciate it. And for Young SPOTY, wow fair enough.”
The 18-year-old had been nominated for both the main award and the Young Sports Personality prize, but lost the latter to England Lioness Michelle Agyemang, who starred in the team’s Euro 2025 triumph.
Littler’s year at the oche has been nothing short of extraordinary, making his omission from the top three all the more surprising to many observers.
In January, he etched his name into the record books by lifting the World Darts Championship trophy at just 17 years and 347 days old, becoming the youngest player ever to claim darts’ most coveted prize.
His dominance continued throughout 2025, with the teenager securing five major titles in total.
Beyond his world crown, Littler captured the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, and claimed back-to-back Grand Slam victories, cementing his status as the sport’s brightest star.
Luke Littler appeared to express his frustration on social media
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Despite his remarkable achievements, Littler had been pessimistic about his chances heading into the ceremony.
When asked last week whether he believed he could win, the world number one simply replied “no” during an interview following his opening World Championship victory over Darius Labanauskas.
Rather than making the trip to Salford, the teenager opted to practise at The Sidac Social sports club in St Helens, where a darts academy is based.
“I think they know. The people in the top three of the betting odds will go,” Littler said when questioned about whether he had informed the BBC of his absence.
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Despite missing out on both awards, Littler was quick to offer his congratulations to the evening’s main winner.
“Well done @rorymcilroy never in doubt mate unreal year,” he posted on Instagram alongside a picture of the Northern Irish golfer.
The teenager’s attention now turns firmly back to defending his world title at Alexandra Palace, where he faces debutant David Davies on Sunday.
Littler dispatched Labanauskas 3-0 on the tournament’s opening day and remains focused on securing another victory before Christmas.
Littler was quick to offer his congratulations to the evening’s main winner
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He explained: “For us players we really have to focus, especially at the World Darts Championships.”
McIlroy was moved to tears whilst honouring the fathers of two children killed in last summer’s Southport tragedy, with the Northern Irish golfer becoming visibly overcome with emotion during the live broadcast.
The poignant moment came shortly after Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe were presented with the Helen Rollason Award for their extraordinary efforts in completing the London Marathon earlier this year.
Both men ran the 26.2-mile course to commemorate their daughters, who lost their lives in the devastating attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop.