The 13-year-old Belgian prodigy Lex Paeshuyse has been crowned the Junior Darts World Champion in London.
Paeshuyse is the youngest winner of the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) World Championship, the under-18 section of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
Paeshuyse succeeds English phenomenon Luke Littler, who won the JDC World Championships in 2022 and 2023. 'Luke The Nuke', still only 17, handed over his champion trophy to Paeshuyse. After his last title, Littler advanced to the senior world championship final in January 2024.
In the final, Lex Paeshuyse defeated 16-year-old Englishman Daniel Stephenson, conceding only one set (5-1). Under the watchful eyes of Littler and Dimitri Van den Bergh, he maintained an average score of 90.85, hitting a 177 and three 140s, among other scores.
"I am on cloud nine, I didn’t expect to win this match," Paeshuyse told the PDC as the first Belgian to lift this trophy. He credited his success to his mentors. "Dimitri helped me manage the pressure over the last two days. I am very grateful."
He also looked up to Luke Littler as an idol. "I hope to follow in his footsteps. It won't be easy, but I hope so!"
