After Luke Littler became the youngest world darts champion at the age of 17, we look back at some of the sport’s most successful teenage stars.
Boris Becker (tennis)
Like Littler, Becker achieved perhaps the most prestigious triumph in his sport at the age of 17, winning Wimbledon in 1985 when he became the youngest All England Club men’s singles champion.
The German successfully defended his title a year later, then won it again in 1989, before finishing his career with six Grand Slam titles following success at the Australian Open in 1991 and 1996 and the 1989 US Open.
Becker also became world No. 1 in 1991.
Skye Brown (skateboarding)
Skateboarder Sky Brown won two Olympic bronze medals for Great Britain as a teenager
Brown became Great Britain’s youngest Olympian and medalist when she won bronze in women’s park skateboarding at the postponed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Despite falling on her first two attempts, she made it to the third to secure a podium spot at the age of 13 years and 28 days. She then won another Olympic bronze in Paris in 2024 at the age of 16.
Brown also won the X Games and the 2023 World Skateboarding Championships park event, becoming the first British skateboarding world champion.
Tom Daley (diving)
Daley started diving at the age of seven and began competing at national and international level at the age of nine.He was the youngest Olympian for Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Games, aged 14, but failed to secure a medal in the 10m or synchro.
That year he won gold at the British and European Championships and the following year he won gold at the World Championships.
Tom Daley was Great Britain’s youngest Olympian at the 2008 Beijing Games when he was just 14 years old.
He was the so-called “poster boy” for the London 2012 Games, winning bronze in the 10m event, but it wasn’t until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that he finally achieved his career goal of winning Olympic gold with partner Matty.
Katie Ledecky (swimming)
By the end of Ledecky’s teenage years, he had five Olympic golds and nine world titles.
Having started swimming at the age of six, she made her international debut at the London 2012 Olympics at the age of 15, when she stunned spectators and coaches by winning gold in the women’s 800m freestyle.
Four years later, at Rio 2016, she won four golds, two silvers and secured two world records.
Ledecky, still just 27, took her Olympic medal tally to 14 when she collected four at the 2024 Paris Games.
At the age of 15, swimmer Katie Ledecky appeared at the 2012 London Olympics.
Wilfred Benitez (boxing)
Wilfred “El Radar” Benitez became the youngest world champion in boxing history when he defeated Antonio Cervantes in March 1976 at the age of just 17.
He turned pro at the age of 15 and was managed by his father, Gregorio Benitez.
His 1976 victory saw him claim both the light middleweight and lineal light middleweight titles.
First (football)
In 1958, at the age of 17, Pele became the world champion with the Brazilian national team
After a record-breaking career, Pele was considered one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.
At the age of 15, his coach told club directors in his native Sao Paolo that he would become “the greatest footballer in the world”. A year later, he became the top scorer in Brazil’s national league, earning him a call-up to the national team.
In 1958, aged 17, he inspired his country to a World Cup victory with a hat-trick in the semi-final and two goals in the final.
Wayne Gretzky (ice hockey)
Gretzky debuted for the Edmonton Oilers in the 1979/80 season and became the first teenager to score 50 goals in a season. The Great One went on to score the most points in NHL history with 2,857 to date.
He is the only NHL player to score more than 200 points in a season, a feat he accomplished four times.
Ronnie O’Sullivan (snooker)
O’Sullivan turned professional in 1992 at the age of 16, winning in just 43 minutes in his debut season.
A year later, he became the youngest winner of the UK Snooker Championship at the age of 17, while at 19 he also secured a Masters title.
Ronnie O’Sullivan starred in snooker as a teenager and into his forties
Since then, The Rocket has become the oldest winner of each of the sport’s Triple Crown events, winning the World Championship at 46, the UK Championship at 47 and the Masters at 48.
Characterized by his attacking style and emotional outbursts, O’Sullivan is regarded as one of the greatest snooker players of all time and now holds a record 41 ranking titles, including seven world titles at The Crucible.
That longevity is something Littler will definitely strive for.
Sachin Tendulkar (Cricket)
Tendulkar was encouraged to take up cricket at the age of 11 as a way out of his difficulties at school.
Now regarded as one of the greatest batsmen the sport has ever seen, he holds records as the youngest player to debut for India in both Test and One Day International cricket at the age of 16.
He remains the leading run scorer in Test and ODI cricket.
At the end of his junior years, he made history when he was selected to play for Yorkshire, the prestigious club side having never before selected a player from outside the province, let alone England.
Michael Phelps (swimming)
Swimmer Phelps won six Olympic gold medals at the age of 19 at the 2004 Athens Games: the 100m and 200m butterfly, the 200m and 400m individual medley, and two relays.
The American added eight more golds in Beijing 2008 and four more in London 2012, while he has won 22 Olympic medals in total, as well as 26 at the World Championships.
