Luke Littler: World Darts Championship semi final star favourite for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024

Despite the 2023 Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) award only being momentously handed to Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps under a month ago, one bookie thinks they know who could be in the running come 2024's ceremony.

Luke Littler is the 16-year old sensation currently on the lips of darts fans up and down the country, as he aims to move a step closer to World Darts Championship glory on Tuesday night (2 January).

The teenager has taken Alexandra Palace by storm and became the youngest semi-finalist ever after he beat Brendan Dolan 5-1 in the quarter-final. A semi-final against 2018 winner Rob Cross is next up

His path to championship gold became clearer after tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen crashed out, suffering one of the biggest shocks in recent times, going out 5-3 to unseeded Scott Williams - Littler will no longer have to meet Van Gerwen in the final.

The precocious Littler is on the cusp of producing one of the greatest sporting stories of all time, and the teenager believes it is going to “take a lot” to stop his juggernaut.

Bookmaker William Hill also agrees, and has Littler as the favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2024 as a 6/1 favourite to win the vote.

That makes Littler the front-runner ahead of names like cyclist Mark Cavendish (12/1), boxer Tyson Fury (14/1) and football players Harry Kane (8/1) and Jude Bellingham (10/1).

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “The dream for Luke Littler is far from over and his meteoric rise has warranted the 6/1 price tag to win BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Award 2024.

“Progressing into the semi-finals of the Darts World Championship is one thing, but to do it at his age is phenomenal and should he win the whole thing, he could cost us six-figures!

“Littler finds himself topping a list of other sport sensations with Harry Kane in behind at 8/1 and Jude Bellingham third at 10/1.”