In the world of darts, a new young star is making headlines. Burnley’s Kaya Baysal, aged just 14, has accomplished something extraordinary by becoming the youngest ever winner of a World Darts Federation (WDF) event, surpassing the previous record held by teenage sensation Luke Littler.
Baysal claimed victory at the 2025 Budapest Classic Men’s tournament last weekend, etching his name in the history books. According to WDF officials, he was precisely 13 days younger than Littler was when he won the 2021 Irish Open, making this achievement all the more remarkable considering Baysal has only been playing competitively for less than 18 months.
The comparisons to Littler, who captivated the sporting world by reaching the World Championship final at just 16 years old before winning the title at 18, are inevitable. But who is this new darting prodigy, and could he be following the same meteoric trajectory?
The Making of a Champion
Unlike many sporting prodigies who begin their journey almost from birth, Kaya’s darts career is still in its infancy. Having only taken the sport seriously for approximately 18 months, his rapid rise suggests a natural talent that coaches dream of discovering.
Kaya trains at the Blackburn Youth Darts Academy under the guidance of coach and manager Keith Brunt, who established the academy in 2017. Brunt, who manages 14 players, has been instrumental in nurturing Kaya’s talent and believes this is just the beginning of what could be a glittering career.
“He’s calm and never fazed by who he is playing, has got his head screwed on, and has very supportive parents,” Brunt commented when discussing his young protégé’s mental attributes – qualities that are essential for success in the high-pressure world of professional darts.
The youngster’s talent hasn’t gone unnoticed in the wider darts community either. He’s already secured sponsorship from Target Darts, a company that backs some of the world’s top players – including Luke Littler himself. This early industry recognition speaks volumes about his potential.
The Budapest Breakthrough
Kaya’s performance in Budapest wasn’t just impressive because of his age. The teenager displayed remarkable composure throughout the tournament, defeating established players with significantly more experience. In the final, he overcame the reigning Budapest Classic champion, 27-year-old Belgian Sybren Gijbels, with a convincing 5-2 scoreline.
Perhaps even more impressive was his semi-final victory against former professional tour player Krzysztof Kciuk, whom he dispatched 4-1. These weren’t lucky wins against unknown competitors – these were calculated victories against seasoned professionals.
The Budapest Classic wasn’t Kaya’s only success at the event either. The youngster completed a remarkable treble by also claiming two youth titles – the Youth Open and the Youth Masters. Additionally, he reached the semi-finals in the pairs event alongside his friend and fellow Blackburn Youth Darts Academy teammate Joseph Westby, who is 15.
Littler’s Legacy and Kaya’s Future
The parallels between Kaya and Luke Littler are striking. Both showed exceptional talent at a young age, both broke records, and both possess a calmness beyond their years when facing established opponents. Plus, they’re both Northern lads.
Littler’s journey from youth champion to World Champion has created a blueprint that young players like Kaya can aspire to follow. The success of “The Nuke” has also helped to bring darts to a younger audience and demonstrated that age is no barrier to success in this sport.
When asked about the possibility of Kaya following in Littler’s footsteps, his coach Keith Brunt was measured but optimistic: “He has a lot of work to do but who knows.” This balanced perspective acknowledges both the immense potential and the challenges that lie ahead.
WDF secretary-general Nick Rolls was more effusive in his praise, stating that everyone was “blown away” by Kaya’s performance in Hungary. “He’s making rapid progress and his performances in Budapest proved that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough,” Rolls remarked, before adding: “Two of our previous youngest-ever winners were Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler, so Kaya is in excellent company.”
Being mentioned alongside van Gerwen – a three-time World Champion – and Littler places Kaya in the company of darts royalty, but the young man himself remains grounded.
Staying Grounded
Despite his historic achievement, Kaya has displayed remarkable humility. When discussing his triumph, he simply described it as “a great experience” where he “played some good darts against some good players.” Rather than dwelling on his success, the Burnley FC supporter was quick to add: “I’ve lots more hard work to do.”
This level-headed approach is evident in his immediate return to practice following the tournament. While many teenagers might celebrate such an achievement, Kaya was back at the practice board, focused on improvement.
His parents, Engin and Samantha Baysal, spoke of their immense pride but also highlighted their son’s composed reaction to his success. “He’s very chilled about it, and he’s just keen to push on,” said Mrs Baysal.
There’s also a touching personal element to Kaya’s darting journey. His walk-on song – Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These” – holds special significance as it was his late uncle’s favourite song and is also regularly played at Turf Moor, the home of his beloved Burnley FC. It was this uncle who first introduced Kaya to the sport of darts, adding a poignant dimension to his early success.
Is He the Next Luke Littler?
The question on many darts fans’ lips is whether Kaya Baysal could be the next Luke Littler. While the comparison is natural given their record-breaking achievements at similar ages, it’s important to remember that each player’s journey is unique.
What Kaya has demonstrated is that he possesses many of the attributes that have made Littler successful – natural talent, mental fortitude, and the ability to perform under pressure. However, the road to the top of professional darts is long and challenging.
Littler’s own rise, while meteoric by most standards, still involved years of development before his breakthrough on the world stage. Kaya is at the beginning of his journey, but the early signs are undoubtedly promising.
What seems certain is that darts is experiencing a youth revolution. With players like Littler and now Baysal breaking through at increasingly younger ages, the sport’s future looks bright. Whether Kaya goes on to match or even surpass Littler’s achievements remains to be seen, but one thing is clear – the darting world has another exceptional young talent to watch.
