- Keely Hodgkinson capped off an incredible 2024 by winning the SPOTY award
- Luke Littler had to settle for second place and Joe Root came third
- And the 17-year-old called out Man United hero David Beckham with a joke
Luke Littler has been given a boost ahead of his first match at the World Darts Championship on Saturday evening.
The teenage sensation gets his tournament underway when he meets Ryan Meikle in the second round at Alexandra Palace.
It marks the end of a busy week for Littler, who came second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Tuesday evening after being named Young Sports Personality of the Year.
The Man United fan left the Salford crowd in stitches when he shouted out his hero David Beckham during the ceremony.
The 17-year-old was asked what his highlight of the year had been: perhaps receiving a text from Manchester United legend David Beckham? “Yes, but he still hasn’t followed me,” Littler replied – and that was enough to make the audience laugh.
Beckham had sent Littler a good luck message ahead of his appearance in the final of the last World Darts Championship, where he was defeated by Luke Humphries.
And his wish has now been granted, as Littler took to Instagram to reveal that Beckham has now followed him.
Luke Littler entertained fans with a comment about David Beckham at the BBC SPOTY Awards
The darts sensation has now revealed that Beckham follows him on Instagram
Beckham had previously expressed support for Littler, but he was still waiting for a follow-up
The 17-year-old shared a screenshot of Beckham’s name to his followers tab, tagging the former England captain and adding heart eyes and raised hands emojis.
Ultimately, Littler had to settle for second place on BBC SPOTY as Keely Hodgkinson ended her golden year with a silver trophy and became the fourth woman in a row to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The 22-year-old memorably claimed her first global gold medal with victory in the 800 meters at the Paris Olympics in August. And after swapping her spikes for stilettos, she finished first again when she collected the iconic silver camera with four dome lenses at last night’s BBC bash in Salford.
Hodgkinson topped the public vote, ahead of darts sensation Littler and England’s leading Test run scorer Joe Root.
Littler finished second to Hodgkinson in the top prize after his stunning breakout year, which saw him reach the final of the PDC World Darts Championship at the age of 16 in January.
On winning Young Sports Personality of the Year, he said: “It shows how well I have done this year. I know how big the sport has become – and it just shows how much I’ve changed the sport.”