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Coventry University sports scholar becomes world number one and sets sights even higher
Jenson Walker (left) and Chairman of England Darts, Tommy Thompson
University news / Student news
Monday 16 February 2026
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A Coventry University student making waves in the world of darts has just been named as number one in the World Darts Federation (WDF) rankings.
Jenson Walker has won a number of titles in WDF competitions and received call-ups to the pro tour with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) - home to the biggest names in the game such as Luke Littler, who he has already beaten three times.
The 19-year-old's recent successes have seen him rise to the top of the WDF rankings to become world number one - and he plans to make more in-roads by becoming a regular in PDC tournaments.
The accountancy student is on Coventry University’s sport scholarship scheme which offers a cash bursary and a tailored range of support services including sports nutrition, strength and conditioning, performance analysis, sports psychology mentoring, performance workshops and flexible study.
Despite his obvious skill with the arrows, Jenson admits he “wasn’t a natural” when he first started playing.
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.
One year it stayed up after Christmas and then the Covid pandemic hit, so through pure boredom I started chucking and it spiralled from there.
About a year on I started to realise I was decent at darts and when we came out of the first wave of lockdowns I entered a youth tournament. I was a steady player and as I hadn’t played the game properly before I didn’t feel any pressure.
Jenson Walker, sports scholar and WDF world number one
Jenson’s career has skyrocketed since, with competition wins including victory in the recent Romanian Open Classic and reaching the semi-finals of the WDF World Championships, all of which added to Jenson describing 2025 as “a dream year”.
Ask most people about the world of darts and they’ll automatically think of Luke Littler who became PDC world champion at the age of just 17 and retained his title to become only the fourth player in history to win back-to-back championships.
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!
I’ve been called up to play in the pro tour three times so I know a few of the top players quite well now and I’d like to think they know who I am now. I want to get as many chances as I can on the pro tour this year.
Jenson Walker
Alongside his desire to go as far as possible in the sport, Jenson knows nothing is certain and is studying accountancy at Coventry University.
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.
Jenson Walker
While darts doesn’t come with the same physicality of many other sports, Jenson says he still gains a lot from his scholarship.
It’s about finding a happy medium. The conditioning and nutrition is important as you're playing days can be very long. You can turn up for a tournament at 7.30am and if you go deep into the competition you can be there until about 9pm.
The mental side of the game is also as important as darts is the best game when you’re winning and the most lonely when it's going badly. You can have everything in place to help but only you can change the situation.
There are so many external factors when you’re playing including having 3,000 or 4,000 fans screaming behind you. I've worked with psychologists over the years, mainly on breath work. I’ve been playing now for four or five years and if I get affected by a crowd then that’s my problem as I am now experienced enough. When you get it right it's just background noise and like a haze and that’s how I know I'm focused.
Jenson Walker
Find out more about Coventry University’s sport scholarships.
