After Luke Littler turned the youngest world champion in darts historical past on the age of 17, we glance again at a number of the most profitable teenage stars the world over of sport.
Boris Becker (tennis)
Like Littler, Becker received arguably essentially the most prestigious occasion in his sport on the age of 17, triumphing at Wimbledon in 1985 as he turned the youngest males’s singles champion on the All England Membership.
The German efficiently defended his title a 12 months later after which received it once more in 1989, earlier than ending his profession with six Grand Slam titles after success on the Australian Open in 1991 and 1996 and US Open in 1989.
Becker additionally turned world No 1 in 1991.
Sky Brown (skateboarding)
Skateboarder Sky Brown has received two Olympic bronze medals for Nice Britain as a teen
Brown turned Nice Britain’s youngest Olympian and medal winner when she took bronze within the ladies’s park skateboarding occasion on the postponed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Regardless of falling on her first two makes an attempt, she made the third for a spot on the rostrum on the age of simply 13 years and 28 days. She then took one other Olympic bronze in Paris in 2024 on the age of 16.
Brown has additionally received on the X Video games and the park occasion on the 2023 World Skateboarding Championship to develop into the first-ever British skateboarding world champion.
Tom Daley (diving)
Daley started diving aged seven and began competing nationally and internationally aged 9. He was Group GB’s youngest Olympian on the Beijing Video games in 2008, aged 14, however didn’t safe a medal within the 10m or synchro occasions.
That 12 months he received gold on the British and European championships – and secured gold on the world championships the next 12 months.
Tom Daley was GB’s youngest Olympian on the 2008 Beijing Video games, when he was simply 14
He was a so-called ‘poster boy’ for the London 2012 Video games, successful bronze within the 10m occasion however t wasn’t till the 2020 Olympic Video games in Tokyo that he lastly achieved his profession objective of successful an Olympic gold along with his associate Matty Lee.
Katie Ledecky (swimming)
By the tip of Ledecky’s teenagers, she had 5 Olympic golds and 9 world championship titles to her identify.
Having began swimming aged six, she made her worldwide debut on the London 2012 Olympics at 15 when she stunned spectators and coaches by successful gold within the ladies’s 800m freestyle.
She received 4 golds, two silvers, and secured two world information when she competed at Rio 2016 4 years later.
Ledecky, who continues to be solely 27, upped her tally of Olympic medals to 14 when she picked up 4 on the 2024 Paris Video games.
Swimmer Katie Ledecky burst onto the scene on the 2012 London Olympics aged 15
Wilfred Benitez (boxing)
Wilfred ‘El Radar’ Benitez turned the youngest world champion in boxing historical past when he beat Antonio Cervantes at simply 17 in March 1976.
He turned professional at 15 and was managed by his father, Gregorio Benitez. He and his brothers Frankie and Gregory had been from one in every of Puerto Rico’s distinguished boxing households, forging their success by way of New York Metropolis.
His 1976 win noticed him declare each the sunshine welterweight and lineal mild welterweight titles.
Pele (soccer)
Pele received the World Cup with Brazil aged 17 in 1958
After a record-breaking profession, Pele was considered one of many biggest sportsmen of the twentieth century.
On the age of 15, his coach instructed membership administrators in his native Sao Paolo he would develop into the “biggest soccer participant on this planet”. A 12 months later he was the highest scorer in Brazil’s nationwide league, resulting in a call-up from the nationwide workforce.
At 17 in 1958, he impressed his nation’s World Cup win with a hat-trick within the semi-final and two objectives within the closing.
Wayne Gretzky (ice hockey)
Gretzky debuted for the Edmonton Oilers within the 1979/80 season and have become the primary teenager to attain 50 objectives in a season. The Nice One’ went on to attain essentially the most factors in NHL historical past, along with his tally of two,857 standing to today.
He’s the one NHL participant to complete over 200 factors in a single season, a feat he achieved 4 instances.
Ronnie O’Sullivan (snooker)
O’Sullivan turned skilled on the age of 16 in 1992, having received a match in simply 43 minutes throughout his debut season.
A 12 months later he turned the youngest winner of the UK Snooker Championship on the age of 17 whereas he additionally secured a Masters title aged 19.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has starred in snooker as a teen and in his forties
The Rocket has since develop into the oldest winner of every of the game’s Triple Crown occasions, successful the World Championship at 46, UK Championship at 47 and Masters at 48,
Characterised by his attacking type and emotional outbursts, O’Sullivan is considered one of many biggest snooker gamers of all time and now has a file 41 rating titles, together with seven World Championship wins at The Crucible.
That longevity is one thing Littler will certainly aspire to.
Sachin Tendulkar (cricket)
Tendulkar was inspired to take up cricket at 11 as a method of getting out of bother in school.
Now considered one of many biggest batters the game has seen, he broke information for being the youngest participant to debut for India in each Check and one-day worldwide cricket at 16.
He stays the main run scorer in Check and ODI cricket.
In the direction of the tip of his teenage years, he made historical past when he was chosen to play for Yorkshire. The celebrated membership facet had by no means chosen a participant from outdoors the county earlier than – not to mention England.
Michael Phelps (swimming)
Swimmer Phelps received six Olympic gold medals on the 2004 Athens Video games as a 19-year-old – the 100m and 200m butterfly, 200m and 400m medley in addition to two relays.
The American went on so as to add eight extra golds in Beijing in 2008 and one other 4 at London 2012, whereas he scooped 22 Olympic medals general in addition to 26 in World Championships.
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