Jenson Walker, a 19-year-old university student, has admitted he was not always good at darts and only started playing regularly "through pure boredom." The accountancy student, who is on Coventry University's sport scholarship scheme, said despite his current skill, he "wasn't a natural" when he first began. Walker, from Exhall just outside Coventry, first started playing in youth tournaments after the Covid pandemic and has since skyrocketed to the top of the World Darts Federation (WDF) rankings, being named number one last week.
Walker's journey began during lockdown when a dartboard stayed up after Christmas. "Through pure boredom, I started chucking and it spiraled from there," he explained. About a year later, he realized he was decent and entered a youth tournament after the first wave of lockdowns, feeling no pressure as he hadn't played properly before. His competition successes include victory in the recent Romanian Open Classic and reaching the semi-finals of the WDF World Championships 2025.
The teenager's rise has been marked by significant victories, including beating current PDC world champion Luke Littler three times. Littler, who has won back-to-back World Championship titles in his teens, and Walker started at a similar time. "We've competed for the England team together and have had numerous battles – he's winning 5-3 currently and I'll take that at the moment!" Walker said. His call-ups with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) have further cemented his status.
Despite his darts success, Walker is prioritizing his degree, delaying his studies from September to January due to the financial opportunities in the sport last year. "It felt the right time to start my studies alongside my darts," he stated. "I'm ready for this now and it feels right." Walker remains determined to go as far as possible in darts while balancing his academic commitments.
