Sporting Moments of 2008
LED by the Olympics and European Championships, 2008 was an action packed year for the sporting World.
With the biggest athletes shining like the brightest stars, there are many different accomplishments which have been achieved this year that athletes can look back on with pride.
To celebrate some of the most remarkable performances by teams an individuals throughout the last twelve months, here are some moments to remember from 2008....
Manchester United do the Double
English football ruled Europe once again in 2008 as Manchester United and Chelsea made it to the Champions League Final. Building on their success in the Premiership, Utd took the lead in 2008’s Moscow final with a goal from Ronaldo which was pegged back in the second half by Lampard. With the game tied at 1-1, the final went to a dramatic penalty shoot-out which the reds won after Anelka’s spot kick was saved by keeper Van der Saar.
Lifting Europe’s biggest club football prize for the third time, Utd completed a historic double following on from their league success. Claiming a 17th English league title, and moving one behind their rivals Liverpool, the red devils finished two points ahead of Chelsea thanks to the blues failure to beat Bolton on the final day of the season. Victory at Wigan for Utd was all that was needed for them to lift the trophy and end yet another campaign with silverware to their name.
Celtics Roll Back the Years
Finishing second worst in the NBA the previous season, Danny Ainge’s big move to restore the Boston Celtics to glory paid dividends, as the most successful basketball franchise in the league returned to the finals. Led by the ‘big three’ of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics faced off against the Lakers having brushed aside the Celtics, Cavaliers and Pistons. Up against their great rivals, the Celts won the first game, inspired by Pierce who battled against injury throughout.
Despite nearly blowing a 24-point lead in game 2, the Eastern Conference champions leaded to LA with a 2-0 lead. The home side won their first game at the Staples Centre but were then on the end of the biggest turnaround in playoff history when they lost a 24 point lead in the fourth quarter.
Holding on for victory in game 5, the Celts returned home to secure victory at the Garden with a 132-91 win.
Lifting to the rafters their 17th Championship banner, Boston ended a 22-year drought and put themselves back at the top of the NBA tree.
Hoy Makes History
As part of the team which succeeded at the Beijing Olympics games during the summer of 2008, the achievements of Chris Hoy sit high on the list of all-time Olympian feats.
During the month long competition in Asia, the Scotsman became the first Britain to win three Olympic golds in a single competition for 100 years. His first success came as part of a three man team which defeated France to claim the gold medal, a win that was quickly followed by win in the keirin ahead of his team mates Ross Edgar.
The hat trick of wins was completed in the individual sprint where his opponents were also another team mate Jason Kenny, who went on to win the silver.
Hoy’s dominance of the competition has since seen him being honoured by the Queen with a knighthood.
Usain’s Lightning Bolts Stun the Sprint World
A silver medal at the World Championships in Osaka the previous year obviously gave Usain Bolt the confidence and the hunger for glory ahead of the 2008 Beijing games. The sprinter announced that he would ‘double-up’ and compete in both the 100 and 200m in China, showing confidence in several pre-tournament events.
With the shorter distance up first, Bolt qualified for the 100m final with a run of 9.85 in the semi-finals. In an extraordinary showpiece, Bolt breezed to victory in a time of 9.69, an improvement of his own World Record, and even more incredible considering that replays showed Bolt’s shoelace was untied throughout the race, and also that the sprinter visibly slowed down towards the end to celebrate his victory.
Having conquered the 100m world, Bolt’s next task was to put in an equally emphatic performance in the 200ms. The Jamaican sprinter progressed to the final, despite initial doubts that he would be unable to emulate the 1984 double of 100m and 200m wins by Carl Lewis.
Bolt immediately eliminated any doubts that the extra distance would harm his domination, and for the second time, he set a new World and Olympic milestone with a time of 19.30s, beating the previous best set by Michael Johnson.
Not content with winning his own personal races, Bolt ran the third leg of the Jamaican 100m relay as the Caribbean’s cruised to gold. A third medal also gave the 22-year old a third world record, 37.10, beating the previously set best by a tenth of a second.
Phelps Hauls in the Medals
Amongst other impressive performances at the 2008 Olympic Games, Michael Phelps perhaps stands out as the most impressive of them all.
In the swimming events at the Beijing event, there was only one name on the lips of all those inside the sport, once the 23-year old had completed a quite remarkable run of success. From the beginning of the competition, Phelps was creating a legacy and breaking records like nothing which have ever been seen before.
In his first event, the 400m medley, Phelps set a new Olympic record in the preliminary rounds, followed by an impressive performance in the final of the same event, which same him break his own world record by almost two seconds.
This stunning performance set the trend for the next four days in which Phelps hauled in four gold medals and broke four world records in both individual and relay events. By the 17th of August, Phelps had won a record tying seven gold medals (five individual) and set six world records and one Olympic record in doing so.
His determination to create even more history was tested on more than one occasion, including in the 100m butterfly, which he won by 100th of a second. The final day of swimming competition, saw Phelps break the mark for medals won at a single Olympic games as he set his seventh world record as part of the successful 4x100m US medley team. Overtaking Mark Spitz who set the previous best of seven medals in a championship in 1972, Phelps elevated himself into legendary status, with the promise of plenty more to come at London 2012.
Wales Win the Grand Slam
Heading into the six nations Championship, Wales were looking to improve on a solitary victory over England in the 2007 tournament. Their first game was at Twickenham against the same opponents, and set them off on the path to a triumphant campaign. Their hosts were ahead inside the first half, but a try from Bryne in the second helped Wales to their first victory at their rivals home for twenty years.
The confidence given to them by victory over the favourites for the competition was evident against Scotland at the Millennium Stadium as they brushed aside the visitors by 30-15, conceding only penalties in the process.
Week three of the Championship saw Wales defeat Italy by an emphatic 47-8 in front of a passionate 75,000 inside their home ground.
Victory left Wales as the only team that could complete the Grand Slam, and with a win over Ireland in their next game, a triple crown would be completed. In a closely fought game at Croke Park, the Welsh won out by three points, 15-12, with Shane Williams scoring the only try of the game, and drawing level with Gareth Thomas as the all time leading try scorer for his country.
The final weekend of the competition was all set for an exciting finale between the holders, France, and Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Roared on by their ever enthusiastic support, Wales secured a Grand Slam winning 29-12 victory and won their second title in four years, their 24th in total.
Hamilton’s Last Gasp Title Charge
One of the more remarkable stories of 2008 was the success of British racing driver Lewis Hamilton. Climbing through the ranks to drive for Maclaren and finish second overall in the F1 World Championship, Hamilton’s title ambitions began in 2007 with the first race of the season in Australia.
Having been the most consistent of all the drivers in the title race, there was a two-race battle between himself and Felipe Massa which developed into one of the most dramatic of all times. In the penultimate race, the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton went on from pole position to win the race, and leave a seven point gap between himself and his closest rival heading into the last race of the season.
The points difference between the Maclaren and Ferrari drivers meant that Hamilton headed to Brazil, Massa’s ‘home’ race, needing to finish fifth to secure the position. After a hard fought race, Hamilton was sitting in fifth place and was closing in on the chequered flag, but as he concentrated on a dramatic change in weather conditions, Hamilton was passed by Sebastian Vettel, meaning that the Brit’s title challenge would be over.
On the final lap of the race a mistake by Timo Glock allowed Hamilton to move back up to fifth, and despite Massa winning the race, and his team jubilantly celebrating what they thought was Championship victory, Hamilton’s promotion into the top five meant that he would become the first British driver since Damon Hill in 1996 to win the Championship. On a landmark day, Hamilton also became the youngest ever F1 driver to claim the title, and the first ever black driver to do so.
Nadal Breaks Wimbledon Duck
Having come so close to claiming the Wimbledon title the previous season, Spaniard Rafa Nadal started the 2008 Championships with an imperious victory over qualifier Andreas Beck. He moved on to beat Earnest Gulbis in four sets, before defeating seeded players Nicolas Kiefer and Michael Youzhny, both in straight sets.
The hard work of the French Open champions was clearly paying off as he broke British hearts by defeating Andy Murray in the quarter finals, and he made a third consecutive appearance in the finals with a victory over Rainer Schuttler in three sets to set up a re-match of the 2007 encounter with Roger Federer.
What ensued could hardly have been predicted, as the winners of 14 of the previous 16 Grand Slam finals played out what is considered to be one of the greatest matches of all time. Federer, trying to become Wimbledon Champion for the sixth time in a row, lost the first sets 4-6, 4-6 but led 5-4 in the third set as rain stopped played. After an eighty minute rain delay which only heightened the anticipation of the game, Federer stormed back to win the third and fourth sets, both in tiebreaks, but a second rain delay at 7.50pm, kept the players in the locker room for 30 minutes. When they returned to court, darkness threatened to prematurely end the encounter, but with a break of serve for Nadal in the fifth and final set, the Spaniard won out to become the 2008 Wimbledon Champion, ending the longest final, at 4 hours and 48 minutes, in Wimbledon history.
A win on grass also meant Nadal becoming the second man to complete a French Open – Wimbledon double, and two months later the combination saw the Spaniard overtake Federer at the top of the ATP Rankings after a record 237 weeks of dominance.
Padraig Harrington doubles up
Winning the Open Championship in 2007 gave the Irishman his first major tour title after thirteen years in the professional game. Bidding to become a back to back champion in 2008 at the same tournament, Harrington started poorly with a 74 on day one before following it up with a superb 68 to be tied for the lead.
Despite almost missing the competition at Royal Birkdale because of a wrist injury, the Irishman put himself in a great position with a third round score 72, two shots behind the leading pair of Greg Norman and Ian Poulter. Going into the final day, Harrington knew that he would have to play some of the most consistent golf of his career and finished his final round with a 69. His eagle on the 17th all but secured his title and ensured that he would be the first European since James Braid in 1906 to retain the Claret Jug.
A victory moved him to third in the world rankings behind Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, just the confidence boost he headed ahead of the Open Championship at Oakland Hills. Despite being five over after two rounds, the Irishman shot an eight under par for the weekend, carding successive 66s in the third and fourth round. A three under par 277 was two shots ahead of Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis, and made him the first European to win the PGA Championship since 1930, and the competitions first ever winner from Ireland.
As a three-time major winner, and the first player since Tiger Woods to win two major competitions in one year, Harrington earned his status and World Class and was part of the team which competed in the 2008 Ryder Cup.
Spain rule Europe with Championship win
Looking to end their drought in major competitions, the Spanish side headed into Euro 2008 feeling confident of securing victory alongside many of the continents other giants.
They were drawn alongside Russia, Sweden and Greece in the Group stages, picking up nine points, scoring eight goals and only conceding three in their matches.
A Quarter-Final encounter with Italy required real nerves of steel, as after a tightly fought match, the two sides were forced into a penalty shootout decider. The World Cup winners were unable to convert two of their four penalties, with Cesc Fabregas scoring the winner for the Spanish to send them through to the semi finals.
At the semi final stage, the Spanish were drawn against Russia, who were something of dark horses having disposed of England in the qualifying stages, and beating the much fancied Holland in the semi-finals. After a nervy opening, the Spanish passing began to take its toll and a three goal victory was secured thanks to strikes from Xavi, Guiza and Silva. The game was far from perfect however as Spain were denied the services of eventual Golden Boot winner David Villa who injured himself during the match.
In the final, Spain faced off against Germany who had made it through thanks to a last minute winner in their semi final against Turkey. The game was a relatively cagey affair as the Spanish tried to pass and probe their way through the well marshalled German defensive line. The decisive breakthrough came in the first half when Fernando Torres broke through into the box and chipped the ball over the on-rushing Lehmann and into the German goal.
The Germans tried to make their way back into the game, but some good defending from Puyol and Casillas ensured that Spain won their first ever major European final. In doing so, they became the first team since 1984 to have won ever single game in the competition. The victory set the Spanish up nicely for an assault on the World Cup in 2010, which they would hope to win for the first time.
With the biggest athletes shining like the brightest stars, there are many different accomplishments which have been achieved this year that athletes can look back on with pride.
To celebrate some of the most remarkable performances by teams an individuals throughout the last twelve months, here are some moments to remember from 2008....
Manchester United do the Double
English football ruled Europe once again in 2008 as Manchester United and Chelsea made it to the Champions League Final. Building on their success in the Premiership, Utd took the lead in 2008’s Moscow final with a goal from Ronaldo which was pegged back in the second half by Lampard. With the game tied at 1-1, the final went to a dramatic penalty shoot-out which the reds won after Anelka’s spot kick was saved by keeper Van der Saar.
Lifting Europe’s biggest club football prize for the third time, Utd completed a historic double following on from their league success. Claiming a 17th English league title, and moving one behind their rivals Liverpool, the red devils finished two points ahead of Chelsea thanks to the blues failure to beat Bolton on the final day of the season. Victory at Wigan for Utd was all that was needed for them to lift the trophy and end yet another campaign with silverware to their name.
Celtics Roll Back the Years
Finishing second worst in the NBA the previous season, Danny Ainge’s big move to restore the Boston Celtics to glory paid dividends, as the most successful basketball franchise in the league returned to the finals. Led by the ‘big three’ of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics faced off against the Lakers having brushed aside the Celtics, Cavaliers and Pistons. Up against their great rivals, the Celts won the first game, inspired by Pierce who battled against injury throughout.
Despite nearly blowing a 24-point lead in game 2, the Eastern Conference champions leaded to LA with a 2-0 lead. The home side won their first game at the Staples Centre but were then on the end of the biggest turnaround in playoff history when they lost a 24 point lead in the fourth quarter.
Holding on for victory in game 5, the Celts returned home to secure victory at the Garden with a 132-91 win.
Lifting to the rafters their 17th Championship banner, Boston ended a 22-year drought and put themselves back at the top of the NBA tree.
Hoy Makes History
As part of the team which succeeded at the Beijing Olympics games during the summer of 2008, the achievements of Chris Hoy sit high on the list of all-time Olympian feats.
During the month long competition in Asia, the Scotsman became the first Britain to win three Olympic golds in a single competition for 100 years. His first success came as part of a three man team which defeated France to claim the gold medal, a win that was quickly followed by win in the keirin ahead of his team mates Ross Edgar.
The hat trick of wins was completed in the individual sprint where his opponents were also another team mate Jason Kenny, who went on to win the silver.
Hoy’s dominance of the competition has since seen him being honoured by the Queen with a knighthood.
Usain’s Lightning Bolts Stun the Sprint World
A silver medal at the World Championships in Osaka the previous year obviously gave Usain Bolt the confidence and the hunger for glory ahead of the 2008 Beijing games. The sprinter announced that he would ‘double-up’ and compete in both the 100 and 200m in China, showing confidence in several pre-tournament events.
With the shorter distance up first, Bolt qualified for the 100m final with a run of 9.85 in the semi-finals. In an extraordinary showpiece, Bolt breezed to victory in a time of 9.69, an improvement of his own World Record, and even more incredible considering that replays showed Bolt’s shoelace was untied throughout the race, and also that the sprinter visibly slowed down towards the end to celebrate his victory.
Having conquered the 100m world, Bolt’s next task was to put in an equally emphatic performance in the 200ms. The Jamaican sprinter progressed to the final, despite initial doubts that he would be unable to emulate the 1984 double of 100m and 200m wins by Carl Lewis.
Bolt immediately eliminated any doubts that the extra distance would harm his domination, and for the second time, he set a new World and Olympic milestone with a time of 19.30s, beating the previous best set by Michael Johnson.
Not content with winning his own personal races, Bolt ran the third leg of the Jamaican 100m relay as the Caribbean’s cruised to gold. A third medal also gave the 22-year old a third world record, 37.10, beating the previously set best by a tenth of a second.
Phelps Hauls in the Medals
Amongst other impressive performances at the 2008 Olympic Games, Michael Phelps perhaps stands out as the most impressive of them all.
In the swimming events at the Beijing event, there was only one name on the lips of all those inside the sport, once the 23-year old had completed a quite remarkable run of success. From the beginning of the competition, Phelps was creating a legacy and breaking records like nothing which have ever been seen before.
In his first event, the 400m medley, Phelps set a new Olympic record in the preliminary rounds, followed by an impressive performance in the final of the same event, which same him break his own world record by almost two seconds.
This stunning performance set the trend for the next four days in which Phelps hauled in four gold medals and broke four world records in both individual and relay events. By the 17th of August, Phelps had won a record tying seven gold medals (five individual) and set six world records and one Olympic record in doing so.
His determination to create even more history was tested on more than one occasion, including in the 100m butterfly, which he won by 100th of a second. The final day of swimming competition, saw Phelps break the mark for medals won at a single Olympic games as he set his seventh world record as part of the successful 4x100m US medley team. Overtaking Mark Spitz who set the previous best of seven medals in a championship in 1972, Phelps elevated himself into legendary status, with the promise of plenty more to come at London 2012.
Wales Win the Grand Slam
Heading into the six nations Championship, Wales were looking to improve on a solitary victory over England in the 2007 tournament. Their first game was at Twickenham against the same opponents, and set them off on the path to a triumphant campaign. Their hosts were ahead inside the first half, but a try from Bryne in the second helped Wales to their first victory at their rivals home for twenty years.
The confidence given to them by victory over the favourites for the competition was evident against Scotland at the Millennium Stadium as they brushed aside the visitors by 30-15, conceding only penalties in the process.
Week three of the Championship saw Wales defeat Italy by an emphatic 47-8 in front of a passionate 75,000 inside their home ground.
Victory left Wales as the only team that could complete the Grand Slam, and with a win over Ireland in their next game, a triple crown would be completed. In a closely fought game at Croke Park, the Welsh won out by three points, 15-12, with Shane Williams scoring the only try of the game, and drawing level with Gareth Thomas as the all time leading try scorer for his country.
The final weekend of the competition was all set for an exciting finale between the holders, France, and Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Roared on by their ever enthusiastic support, Wales secured a Grand Slam winning 29-12 victory and won their second title in four years, their 24th in total.
Hamilton’s Last Gasp Title Charge
One of the more remarkable stories of 2008 was the success of British racing driver Lewis Hamilton. Climbing through the ranks to drive for Maclaren and finish second overall in the F1 World Championship, Hamilton’s title ambitions began in 2007 with the first race of the season in Australia.
Having been the most consistent of all the drivers in the title race, there was a two-race battle between himself and Felipe Massa which developed into one of the most dramatic of all times. In the penultimate race, the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton went on from pole position to win the race, and leave a seven point gap between himself and his closest rival heading into the last race of the season.
The points difference between the Maclaren and Ferrari drivers meant that Hamilton headed to Brazil, Massa’s ‘home’ race, needing to finish fifth to secure the position. After a hard fought race, Hamilton was sitting in fifth place and was closing in on the chequered flag, but as he concentrated on a dramatic change in weather conditions, Hamilton was passed by Sebastian Vettel, meaning that the Brit’s title challenge would be over.
On the final lap of the race a mistake by Timo Glock allowed Hamilton to move back up to fifth, and despite Massa winning the race, and his team jubilantly celebrating what they thought was Championship victory, Hamilton’s promotion into the top five meant that he would become the first British driver since Damon Hill in 1996 to win the Championship. On a landmark day, Hamilton also became the youngest ever F1 driver to claim the title, and the first ever black driver to do so.
Nadal Breaks Wimbledon Duck
Having come so close to claiming the Wimbledon title the previous season, Spaniard Rafa Nadal started the 2008 Championships with an imperious victory over qualifier Andreas Beck. He moved on to beat Earnest Gulbis in four sets, before defeating seeded players Nicolas Kiefer and Michael Youzhny, both in straight sets.
The hard work of the French Open champions was clearly paying off as he broke British hearts by defeating Andy Murray in the quarter finals, and he made a third consecutive appearance in the finals with a victory over Rainer Schuttler in three sets to set up a re-match of the 2007 encounter with Roger Federer.
What ensued could hardly have been predicted, as the winners of 14 of the previous 16 Grand Slam finals played out what is considered to be one of the greatest matches of all time. Federer, trying to become Wimbledon Champion for the sixth time in a row, lost the first sets 4-6, 4-6 but led 5-4 in the third set as rain stopped played. After an eighty minute rain delay which only heightened the anticipation of the game, Federer stormed back to win the third and fourth sets, both in tiebreaks, but a second rain delay at 7.50pm, kept the players in the locker room for 30 minutes. When they returned to court, darkness threatened to prematurely end the encounter, but with a break of serve for Nadal in the fifth and final set, the Spaniard won out to become the 2008 Wimbledon Champion, ending the longest final, at 4 hours and 48 minutes, in Wimbledon history.
A win on grass also meant Nadal becoming the second man to complete a French Open – Wimbledon double, and two months later the combination saw the Spaniard overtake Federer at the top of the ATP Rankings after a record 237 weeks of dominance.
Padraig Harrington doubles up
Winning the Open Championship in 2007 gave the Irishman his first major tour title after thirteen years in the professional game. Bidding to become a back to back champion in 2008 at the same tournament, Harrington started poorly with a 74 on day one before following it up with a superb 68 to be tied for the lead.
Despite almost missing the competition at Royal Birkdale because of a wrist injury, the Irishman put himself in a great position with a third round score 72, two shots behind the leading pair of Greg Norman and Ian Poulter. Going into the final day, Harrington knew that he would have to play some of the most consistent golf of his career and finished his final round with a 69. His eagle on the 17th all but secured his title and ensured that he would be the first European since James Braid in 1906 to retain the Claret Jug.
A victory moved him to third in the world rankings behind Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, just the confidence boost he headed ahead of the Open Championship at Oakland Hills. Despite being five over after two rounds, the Irishman shot an eight under par for the weekend, carding successive 66s in the third and fourth round. A three under par 277 was two shots ahead of Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis, and made him the first European to win the PGA Championship since 1930, and the competitions first ever winner from Ireland.
As a three-time major winner, and the first player since Tiger Woods to win two major competitions in one year, Harrington earned his status and World Class and was part of the team which competed in the 2008 Ryder Cup.
Spain rule Europe with Championship win
Looking to end their drought in major competitions, the Spanish side headed into Euro 2008 feeling confident of securing victory alongside many of the continents other giants.
They were drawn alongside Russia, Sweden and Greece in the Group stages, picking up nine points, scoring eight goals and only conceding three in their matches.
A Quarter-Final encounter with Italy required real nerves of steel, as after a tightly fought match, the two sides were forced into a penalty shootout decider. The World Cup winners were unable to convert two of their four penalties, with Cesc Fabregas scoring the winner for the Spanish to send them through to the semi finals.
At the semi final stage, the Spanish were drawn against Russia, who were something of dark horses having disposed of England in the qualifying stages, and beating the much fancied Holland in the semi-finals. After a nervy opening, the Spanish passing began to take its toll and a three goal victory was secured thanks to strikes from Xavi, Guiza and Silva. The game was far from perfect however as Spain were denied the services of eventual Golden Boot winner David Villa who injured himself during the match.
In the final, Spain faced off against Germany who had made it through thanks to a last minute winner in their semi final against Turkey. The game was a relatively cagey affair as the Spanish tried to pass and probe their way through the well marshalled German defensive line. The decisive breakthrough came in the first half when Fernando Torres broke through into the box and chipped the ball over the on-rushing Lehmann and into the German goal.
The Germans tried to make their way back into the game, but some good defending from Puyol and Casillas ensured that Spain won their first ever major European final. In doing so, they became the first team since 1984 to have won ever single game in the competition. The victory set the Spanish up nicely for an assault on the World Cup in 2010, which they would hope to win for the first time.