Teenage Sensations or Fledgling Flops: What Happened to These Sporting Proteges?

Back this year, the darts world produced one of the biggest sporting shocks ever when 16-year-old Luke Littler reached the final of the 2024 World Championship. The teenager couldn’t quite get over the line, as pre-tournament favorite Luke Humphries claimed the title, but his achievement in reaching the last two was unprecedented in the sport.

Littler looks set for a bright future, but can he maintain his performance levels, or will he go the way of other promising young athletes who have failed to reach their full potential? Where will he rank among the many teenage winners and losers in a range of sports?

1. Tiger Woods

Nobody can argue that Tiger Woods delivered on the potential shown as a precocious teenage talent. Following a stunning college and amateur career, he competed in his first Major golf tournament, the 1995 US Masters, at age 19. He was the only amateur to make the cut, and two years later, he won the event by a colossal margin of 12 strokes. Woods currently has 15 Major wins to his name and is second only to Jack Nicklaus in that respect.

2. Ronnie O’Sullivan

In the snooker world, Ronnie O’Sullivan is one of the game’s greats. He’s another sportsman who showed early promise and was confident enough to turn professional at just 16. A year later, the Englishman won a significant ranking event as he claimed the 1993 UK Championship title. With seven World Championship wins, he currently holds the record alongside Stephen Hendry, and he’s another teenager who went on to great success.

3. Freddy Adu

Following two consecutive hits, it’s time to consider the first flop on this list. His exploits as a youth player saw soccer’s Freddy Adu hailed as the “next Pele,” but it was a mantle that he couldn’t live up to. He signed for DC United as a 14-year-old and set several MLS records.

Adu was the youngest American to sign a pro deal in any team sport and became the youngest player to score in Major League Soccer. Top European sides scouted Adu, but he couldn’t deliver on his early promise. He retired in 2021 after a modest, journeyman career that took in no fewer than 15 clubs.

4. Martina Hingis

Opinions on where Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis stands on this list will differ. She set several records, including the youngest female tennis player to win a Grand Slam and the youngest to reach the number one world ranking. Hingis won her first Grand Slam at 16 in 1997, claiming the Australian Open title. She won five singles Grand Slams overall, but her star shone briefly. Injuries forced an initial retirement in 2007, while subsequent comebacks proved unsuccessful.

5. Serena Williams

Ironically, Serena Williams beat Martina Hingis to claim her first Grand Slam title. Williams was 18 when she landed the 1999 US Open, and her career exploded. While Hingis is a debatable flop, Serena Williams is an obvious hit with several tennis records and 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

6. Wayne Gretzky

When a 19-year-old wins the NHL MVP award in his first-ever season, it’s clear that the sport has welcomed a generational talent. Doubts about Wayne Gretzsky’s ability to build on that stunning opening were dispelled as the Canadian returned a series of NHL records in a legendary career. When he retired in 1999, Gretzsky held no fewer than 61 landmarks in the League.

7. Zola Budd

Athlete Zola Budd captured the media headlines when she crossed from her native South Africa to compete for Great Britain. With South Africa excluded from competitive sport then, it was a convenient option, but Budd would soon become a world record holder at the 5000-meter level.

She had unquestionable talent, but Zola Budd’s most memorable moment involved her infamous collision with Mary Decker at the 1984 Olympics. While she enjoyed some success, we have to place Zola Budd among those teenage sensations who underachieved.

8. Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo joined Sporting Lisbon’s youth team as a 12-year-old. Four years later, he debuted for the senior side, and the club had an exceptional talent on their roster. As he nears the end of his long career, Ronaldo has won every significant honor except for the World Cup, so he’s included on this list as an undoubted hit.

9. Michael Phelps

The swimming world may never see a talent as great as Michael Phelps. Before he said goodbye to his teenage years, the American had won at least 13 gold medals. After claiming a world record of 23 golds in five Olympic Games, we can confidently say that Michael Phelps’s career was a hit.

10. James Young

He was a first-round NBA draft pick in 2014, and shooting guard James Young seemed set for a brilliant career. His college performances at the Kentucky Wildcats set him apart from his contemporaries, but it didn’t work out for the Michigan native. Aged 28, Young has drifted out of the NBA and has featured for 11 teams in a career that failed to live up to its promise.

11. Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton lived in my local area as he grew up, and the regional newspapers gave extensive coverage to this young boy, who was making his mark on the go-kart scene. He would be fast-tracked into the highest levels of motorsport, but could Hamilton live up to the hype? Seven World Championships and 103 Grand Prix wins show that this youngster lived his dream.

12. Michael Johnson

If you haven’t heard of UK soccer player Michael Johnson, you’re not alone. The midfielder was considered one of the brightest talents in the game, and he was handed a first-team debut at Manchester City at 18. Manchester City went on to dominate the English Premier League, but they did it without Michael Johnson, whose injuries and off-field issues saw him quit soccer at 24.

13. Sachin Tendulkar

As a cricketer who made his international debut at 16, it was clear that India’s Sachin Tendulkar was a promising prospect. No pundits can be sure how a career would evolve, but Sachin developed to become the best batter of his generation. He retired with several world records, including the most test matches (200) and an incredible set of 100 international centuries across all formats.

14. Vinod Kambli

While Sachin Tendulkar was undoubtedly successful, his great friend Vinod Kambli made it onto the pile marked ‘flops.’ While at school, the two men set a world record batting partnership of 664, and at one point, it appeared that Kambli would be the better player. He played internationally for India and had some career highlights, but his overall performances were modest, and he played his last game at 28.

15. Olga Korbut

When you have a sporting move named after you, it’s a sign of immortality. Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut lit up the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and established the Korbut flip. She won three gold medals at the games and added a team gold medal at Montreal in 1976. Gymnasts tend to have a short shelf life, and Korbut retired in 1977 at 22. She didn’t enjoy a long career but achieved much, so we must consider Olga Korbut a success.

16. Kobe Bryant

After excelling as a youngster, Kobe Bryant experienced mixed fortunes in his early NBA days. The 1996/97 season produced modest returns, but he became the youngest player to make the All-Star team the following year. Five NBA Championships and two MVP Finals awards tell us that this much-missed athlete went on to become one of the sporting greats.

17. Michelle Wie

Golfer Michelle Wie is considered the most precocious of teenage talents. She turned professional at 15 after qualifying for the USGA Amateur Championships as a 10-year-old. Unsurprisingly, she was the youngest player to ever qualify for the event, and a stunning career awaited. Wie still competes professionally, but her return of one Major championship among five professional wins is modest, considering her early potential.

18. Mike Tyson

Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson made his professional debut at 18 in 1985. He arrived in the ring on the back of some serious hype, but his fearless approach helped him to deliver on that potential. ‘Iron’ Mike won all his 15 fights as an 18-year-old, and those wins came via knockout or technical knockout. Nearly 40 years later, he’s still the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title.

19. Pele

From all the fake Peles, we finally come to the real deal. At age 17, Brazil’s greatest soccer player scored two goals in the 1958 World Cup final as his country overcame host nation Brazil. He was a footballing genius, and Pele would add two more World Cups to his vast list of personal and team honors. A teenager who went on to fulfill all of that enormous potential, many still consider Pele to be the best soccer player of all time.

20. Jennifer Capriati

US tennis star Jennifer Capriati’s “stop-start” career makes categorizing her difficult. She achieved much in the sport but succeeded in her younger years before off-court issues saw her fade from public view. Capriati made her professional debut at age 14 and hit the top ten in the same year. She won three Grand Slam singles titles, but off-field issues contributed to her downfall, and by 2004, Capriati’s career was over.

21. Steve Cauthen

Jockey Steve Cauthen is another sports star whose most outstanding achievements came during his teenage years. As a 16-year-old, he won 85 races and two years later became the youngest jockey to complete America’s prestigious Triple Crown. His success crossed two sides of the Atlantic, and Steve Cauthen is still the only jockey to win the Kentucky Derby and the UK’s Epsom Derby.

22. Bob Feller

One of the earliest teenage sporting superstars, baseball pitcher Bob Feller, debuted for the Cleveland Indians while still in high school. In his first MLB game, he struck out 15 batters and would go on to jointly hold the season record of 17 strikes. The ultimate prize came later in his career as Bob Feller won the 1948 World Series with the Indians at 29.

23. Boris Becker

Tennis players feature regularly on this list, and perhaps it’s a sport that requires youthful exuberance and a body that has yet to be ravaged by injury. Germany’s Boris Becker became the youngest player to win the men’s Wimbledon singles title as a 17-year-old in 1985. He successfully defended his title a year later, and while he retired at the relatively young age of 32, his tally of six Grand Slams makes him an apparent success.

24. Luke Littler

Darts sensation Luke Littler is starting his career, so it’s impossible to judge whether he’ll be a hit or a miss. However, the focus and temperament shown by the teenager as he made the 2024 World Championship final is a good sign. Young professional athletes now have plenty of support on hand to help them with the pressures of their sport, and Littler has a good team in place. If he can stay humble and focused, he’ll enjoy a stellar career.