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Are here fifteen moments in sport during an extraordinary 2020 interrupted by the coronavirus:
When the pandemic forced UEFA to transform the Champions League finals into a mini-tournament in Lisbon, Bayern looked like the best team from the start.
The accomplished Hansi Flick team won their sixth European crown thanks to Kingsley Coman’s header against Paris Saint-Germain.
When Michael Schumacher retired from Formula One, few thought his record of 91 Grand Prix victories and seven world championships would be equaled. In 2020, Lewis Hamilton did just that, winning 11 of the 17 races to bring his tally past Schumacher’s record to 95, and equal the German’s seven titles.
The 35-year-old Brit certainly benefited from the excellent Mercedes car at his disposal, but there is no doubt that he has firmly etched his name among the greatest in his sport.
World number one Novak Djokovic entered the US Open seeking an 18th win knowing that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were absent. Going into his fourth round match against 20th seed Pablo Carreño Busta, the Serbian had not lost a singles match in 2020.
However, it all went wrong when the 33-year-old expressed his frustration after dropping his serve by hitting a ball behind him, hitting a female linesman in the throat. Djokovic immediately apologized, but after a long discussion, he was disqualified, leaving the field open for Dominic Thiem.
Rafael Nadal skipped the US Open, but there was no way the Spaniard would miss out on his flagship event, the French Open, which took place at a stormy Roland Garros on a rearranged schedule in late September / early October.
Inevitably, and without losing a single set along the way, Nadal made his way to the final where he encountered Djokovic, who was eager to repair his mishap at Flushing Meadows. It was hardly a competition with Nadal winning 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to claim a 13th French Open title and match Federer’s record of 20 major victories.
Iga Swiatek was ranked 54th in the world when he traveled to Roland Garros. Two weeks later, after beating Sofia Kenin in the final, the 19-year-old had risen to number 17 and became the first Polish woman to win a Grand Slam singles title.
It was an impressive fortnight for Swiatek, who took advantage of the absence of world number one Ashleigh Barty and Serena Williams’ early exit due to injury to become the youngest singles winner since Monica Seles in 1992.
Under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds had threatened for two years to finally clinch their first national title since 1990. Strengthened by the addition of goalkeeper Alisson and center-back Virgil van Dijk, in 2019-20 they galloped to an almost impregnable lead, only because of the pandemic. to stop football. When the season resumed, they didn’t miss a single beat from Mersey and lifted the trophy on an empty Kop as his supporters defied coronavirus warnings to gather in a haze of red flares outside.
A virus-delayed Tour de France took place in September, which was a great achievement in itself. That he produced an incredible race, and saw Slovenian Tadej Pogacar come out of nowhere to become the seventh man to win it on his first try, took him to the next level.
The then 21-year-old had won two stages, but was 57 seconds behind compatriot Primoz Roglic in the penultimate stage time trial. While Roglic was choking, Pogacar was on fire on the road to win his third stage and take the yellow jersey for the first time.
When the coronavirus first hit, it looked like the entire summer sport would be canceled, but on July 8 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, England and the West Indies, which had been in a biosecurity bubble for a month, it emerged to play an exciting behind-the-scenes quiz.
The West Indies made it through the opener thanks to excellent performances from Shannon Gabriel and Jermaine Blackwood, but England came back to win the three-round series. The real winner, however, was the England and Wales Cricket Board, who managed this and other series against Pakistan, as well as the ODI series against Ireland and Australia, flawlessly.
Any cricket team can have a bad day at the office, but few have suffered a batting collapse compared to India, captained by the great Virat Kohli, when they were eliminated by just 36 by Australia in the first test in Adelaide in December.
India had been in a decent position after the first inning, but Josh Hazlewood (5-8) and Pat Cummins (4-21) outscored them. It was the fifth lowest score in test history and the lowest in India.
The helicopter crash outside Los Angeles on January 26 that claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others sent shockwaves through basketball and the United States.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the Los Angeles Lakers during his 20-year career before retiring in April 2016. His death sparked a storm of tributes. “When Kobe Bryant died, a part of me died,” said Michael Jordan.
When the pole vault Armand Duplantis set a new world record of 6.18m in an indoor meet in Glasgow in February, a week after exceeding 6.17m, the sport of athletics had a new star. The US-based Swede with the look of a teen movie produced the tallest outdoor vault of all time (6.15m) and finished the year undefeated in 16 competitions.
Mike Tyson, once the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and one of the most feared fighters to ever step into a ring, retired from boxing in 2005. But 15 years later, and at 54, he climbed the ranks again. ropes to face Roy. Jones Jr., 51, in an exhibition fight.
The two flashed their former glories as they fought to a draw, though skeptics were quick to remind them of the ravages of time. “This is like two of my uncles fighting at the barbecue!” uttered hip hop star Snoop Dogg in his television commentary.
Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to 21 consecutive points in the final 6 minutes and 13 seconds to beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in the Super Bowl.
The charismatic quarterback was named Most Valuable Player of the Super Bowl for taking the Chiefs’ first NFL title in half a century.
Liverpool’s defeat to Atlético de Madrid in the Champions League on March 16 on March 11 was notable less for the result than for the fact that 50,000 people gathered at Anfield at a time when the coronavirus was already rampant.
Scientists have singled out the match as one of the major superprocessor events in England.
Francesco Caputo, a forward for the Italian soccer club Sassuolo, spoke on behalf of the whole world as he lifted his shirt to reveal the message: “Everything will be fine, stay home” as Covid-19 ravaged Italy on its way to Europe.
