Jenson Walker, a 19-year-old British student, has been officially confirmed as the new number one in the World Darts Federation (WDF) world rankings. The accountancy student at Coventry University and university sports scholar only started taking darts seriously out of boredom during the Covid pandemic, but his strong results at international tournaments and multiple call-ups for PDC events have propelled him to the top spot. Remarkably, he has already beaten world champion Luke Littler three times.
Walker's journey was far from straightforward, as he admits he was not a natural talent initially. Speaking to the BBC, he recalled, "At Christmas we would always watch the world championships on TV and we'd get the dartboard out of the loft and have a play." The board stayed up after the holidays, and when the pandemic hit, he began playing out of pure boredom, which spiraled into a serious pursuit. After about a year, he realized he was decent at darts and entered his first youth tournament after the first wave of lockdowns, feeling no pressure as he hadn't played properly before.
His development accelerated from there, with Walker qualifying for the 2025 WDF World Championship and reaching the semi-finals at his first attempt. He also won the Romanian Open Classic, firmly establishing himself on the international map. Notably, he has faced Luke Littler, the two-time PDC world champion, multiple times, including in the national team. Walker said, "Luke and I started at a very 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!"
Despite his rapid rise, Walker continues to prioritize his studies, deliberately combining his sporting career with his accountancy degree. He explained, "It felt the right time to start my studies alongside my darts. The finances that were up for grabs last year in the sport meant I couldn't risk not putting all my effort into that, so I delayed starting in September and began in January. I'm ready for this now and it feels right."
