Sapere Aude || The Quizarc Newsletter. Year in review Part-3
Third edition of Quizarc's "year in review 2024" newsletter
In this special edition of Sapere Aude, we will be looking into the biggest sports news of 2024.
🏅Olympics
Shooter Manu Bhaker won the bronze medal in women’s 10m air pistol event, becoming the first Indian shooter since 2012 to win a medal at the Olympics. She later added another bronze, this time in the mixed team 10m air pistol event after partnering with Sarabjot Singh.
Swapnil Kusale brought home India’s first medal in a smallbore event, winning third place in 50m rifle 3 positions.
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s dream campaign turned into heartbreak as she was diqualified from the finals for being 100 grams overweight. She, however, began her political career on a winning note winning the Julana constituency in the Assembly Elections in Haryana.
Neeraj Chopra was the only medalist for India in track and field events, winning the silver medal in Javelin throw as Arshad Nadeem won the first ever gold medal for Pakistan.
Aman Sehrawat won the bronze medal in the 57kg caregory.
India won 29 medals including seven gold, nine silver, and thirteen bronze medals in the Paralympics, marking India's highest ever medal tally in Paralympic Games.
Avani Lekhara won India's first gold medal in the women's 10 m air rifle event which was her second consecutive gold medal in the event, and she became first Indian woman athlete to win multiple medals at the Paralympics.
Sumit Antil became the first Indian male athlete to win back-to-back gold medals in the same event after his victory in the men's javelin throw F64 event.
Harvinder Singh won India's first Paralympic gold medal in archery which was his second medal after the bronze he won at the previous Games.
Navdeep Singh, with a throw of 47.32 meters set a new Paralympic record and clinched the gold medal in the men's javelin throw F41 event.
The Australian breaker Rachel Gunn became an overnight sensation when she failed to register any points in any of her three battles in the newly introduced sport of breaking. She announced her retirement from competitions later in the year.
Simone Biles cemented herself as champion of the world. She won gold in individual all-around at the Paris Olympics and led Team USA to the top of the podium, marking a triumphant return after a bout of the “twisties” caused her to withdraw from most Tokyo Olympics events in 2021.
Swimmer Katie Ledecky became the most successful female Olympian in U.S. history. She was also awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.
South Korea’s Kim Ye-ji and Turkey’s Yusuf Dikeç shot to fame for their unique shooting styles at the Olympics.
North Korea won its first Olympic medal in eight years after winning silver in the Table tennis mixed doubles event in Paris. Later, a selfie at the medal ceremony on the podium went viral after South Korea’s Lim Jong-Hoon, took a group picture with the other players.
The Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who had won gold at Tokyo Olympics, defended his medal by soaring into a height of 6.25m, breaking the world record for a record ninth time.
Julien Alfred won the women’s 100-metre final to claim Saint Lucia’s first-ever Olympic medal.
Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam became the first woman in history to win three consecutive Olympic heptathlon crowns.
Sifan Hassan became the first athlete since Emil Zatopek to win medals in 5000m, 10,000m and marathon in a single Olympics.
Adriana Runo Oliva hit 45 of 50 targets in women’s trap to not only register a Games record but also win Guatemala’s first Olympic gold in any sport.
Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze became the first woman to compete at 10 Olympic Games. Ian Millar, a Canadian equestrian rider is the only other person to compete in 10 Olympics.
USA defeated France 98-87 in a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics final to clinch their fifth successive gold medal in basketball.
American sprinter Noah Lyles won the 100m race in 9.79 seconds, beating Kishane Thompson of Jamaica by 0.005 of a second.
British archer Jodie Grinham won the gold medal in 2024 Paralympics while being pregnant.
🏏Cricket
India and South Africa played out the shortest completed test match ever with a result in Cape Town. The match lasted just 642 balls (107 overs) as India won by seven wickets.
Afghanistan’s one-off Test against New Zealand in Greater Noida was called off without a ball being bowled, only the eighth such instance in cricket history.
Taking 71 wickets at an average of 14.92; Jasprit Bumrah was an unstoppable force through much of 2024. To date, the average of 14.92 has been bettered only by Imran Khan and Sydney Barnes.
India lost a home Test series for the first time in 12 years after being swept 3-0 by the Kiwis
Ireland registered its first ever win in Test cricket when it beat Afghanistan by six wickets in Abu Dhabi.
Smriti Mandhana scored 763 runs in women's T20Is, the most for any batter in a calendar year in the format.
Australia's Ellyse Perry became the first to achieve the double of 7000 runs and 300 wickets in women's international matches.
Indonesia’s Rohmalia Rohmalia registered the best bowling figures in women’s T20Is, picking up seven wickets in 3.2 overs without conceding a single run.
New Zealand women's team had lost 12 out of their 13 games before the start of the 2024 T20 world cup, but were able to break Australia’s streak of three consecutive T20 World Cup wins after beating South Africa by 32 runs in the final in Dubai to register their maiden triumph.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru broke years of jinx and won its first title across franchise leagues when it beat Delhi Capitals by eight wickets to claim the second season of the Women’s Premier League.
United States of America stunned Pakistan during the T20 World Cup by clinching a thrilling win via Super Over in the league phase of the tournament.
The Indian team finally ended its ICC title-drought as it clinched the T20 World Cup crown by beating South Africa in the summit clash in Barbados.
Gautam Gambhir was named the head coach of the Indian cricket team, succeeding Rahul Dravid after the T20 World Cup. Abhishek Nayar and Ryan Ten Doeschate were named assistant coaches while Morne Morkel took over as bowling coach.
IPL:
A contest between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru saw 549 runs being plundered in 40 overs - the record for most runs aggregated in a T20 match. After Sunrisers smashed 287 for three - the highest team total in IPL history - RCB replied with 262 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, falling short by 25 runs.
Punjab Kings registered the highest successful run chase in T20 cricket when it overhauled a 262-run target in just 18.4 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.
Mohit Sharma bowled the most expensive spell in IPL history when he conceded 73 runs in four overs against Delhi Capitals.
Kolkata Knight Riders lifted its third IPL title after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in a one-sided final in Chennai.
Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player ever when he was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs. 27 crore.
⚽︎Football
The Spanish men’s football team enjoyed an unbeaten run throughout their successful 2024 European Championship campaign that was held in Germany. Spain broke the record for most goal scorers in the history of the tournament.
Argentina won a record 16th Copa America title by beating Colombia 1-0, thanks to an extra-time goal from substitute Lautaro Martinez.
Sergio Camello struck twice in extra time to settle a remarkable Olympic men’s football final as Spain beat France 5-3.
United States Women’s soccer team won its fifth Olympic gold medal by beating Brazil 1-0 through Mallory Swanson’s early second-half goal in the final.
Real Madrid clinched a record-extending 36th La Liga title, losing only one match in the entire season. They went on to win the Champions League title after beating Borussia Dortmund in the final and the Intercontinental Cup after beating CF Pachuca.
Manchester United won both the men’s and women’s FA cup.
Mohun Bagan beat Mumbai City 2-1 in the final league fixture of the ISL and won its maiden League Winner’s Shield.
Rodri Clinched Men’s Ballon d'Or 2024 beating Brazil’s Vinicius Jr and England’s Jude Bellingham. However, Vinicius Junior won the Best FIFA Men’s Player award in December.
Messi’s hat-trick led Inter Miami to a new MLS single-season points record. Messi also became the first player to play in five Copa America finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player in history to score more than 900 goals.
Bayer Leverkusen ended rivals Bayern Munich’s decade-long dominance of the Bundesliga by winning the title with 90 points under their manager Xabi Alonso.
🎾Tennis
More than two decades after turning pro, Novak Djokovic finally had his hands on the elusive Olympic gold medal when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final at Roland Garros. He also became the oldest World No. 1 in ATP Rankings history, surpassing Roger Federer. Djokovic also broke Federer’s record of the greatest number of wins at Slams. Towards the end of the year, Djokovic announced that Andy Murray will be his new coach till the Australian Open in 2025.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner became the World No 1 and won the ATP World Tour Finals title. He also clinched two Grand Slams this season in the form of Australian Open and the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest tennis player to win major titles on three surfaces after his French Open victory over Alexander Zverev. He also defeated Novak Djokovic to lift the Wimbledon trophy.
Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open without losing a single set in the tournament. She also clicnhed the US open title, defeating Jessica Pegula.
Iga Swiatek of Poland won her third consecutive Women’s singles title at the French Open.
Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic lifted her first Wimbledon trophy, defeating Italian player Jasmine Paolini.
Rohan Bopanna became the oldest man to lift a Grand Slam trophy in the Open Era at 43 years of age when he and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden defeated Italy’s Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the Australian Open.
Coco Gauff beat Olympic gold medallist Zheng in Riyadh to become the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova in 2004.
Former football star Diego Forlan made his professional tennis debut during an ATP Challenger Tour event in Montevideo.
🏑Hockey
The Indian men’s hockey team secured consecutive medals at the Olympic Games for the first time since 1972 after beating Spain 2-1 in the bronze medal match. The Netherlands won the gold medals in both men’s and women’s competitions after beating Germany and China respectively in the finals.
The Indian men’s team successfully defended its Asian Champions Trophy title, clinching a hard-fought 1-0 victory over host China in the final.
India finished as runner-up at the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey 5s Women’s World Cup after a 7-2 loss to the Netherlands in the final.
Japan clinched its first ever Sultan Azlan Shah Cup after beating Pakistan 4-1 in the penalty shootout.
Australia won the men’s crown with 34 points from its 16 games in the 2023-24 season of the FIH Pro League, while Netherlands took top honours in the women’s competition.
PR Sreejesh was named the ‘Men’s Goalkeeper Of The Year’ while skipper Harmanpreet won the ‘Men’s Player Of The Year’ award for the 2023-24 season by the International Hockey Federation.
🥊Boxing
Ukraninan boxer Oleksandr Usyk etched his name into the annals of boxing history by defeating Tyson Fury via unanimous decision.
Mike Tyson came out of retirement to fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a much-hyped fight which was live streamed on Netflix. Paul defeated Tyson via unanimous decision with 65 million concurrent viewers.
Mandeep Jangra claimed the World Boxing Federation’s super featherweight world title after defeating Britain’s Conor McIntosh.
Imane Khelif won the women's 66 kg event at the World Boxing Cup and at the Olympics.
🏃♀️Athletics
Kenyan runner Agnes Ngetich broke the 10km world record, becoming the first woman to run the distance in under 29 minutes.
Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania broke a world record in the discus throw that had stood since 1986.
The Indian 4x400m mixed relay team comprising Muhammad Ajmal, Jyothika Sri, Amoj Jacob and Subha Venkatesan broke the national record at the Asian Relay Championships 2024.
Gulveer Singh broke his national record in the men’s 5000m event to win gold at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Japan. He also bettered his national record in the 10,000m race while winning gold in the 2024 Hachioji Long Distance meet in Japan.
🏎️F1
Despite suffering from an 11-game winless streak, Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive F1 title in 2024.
Valtteri Bottas, who was a regular driver for Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton from 2017 to 2021 rejoined the team as a reserve driver. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton ended his 12-year stint with Mercedes and will be joining Ferrari in 2025.
Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez collided on the penultimate lap in Azerbaijan Grand Prix while fighting for third position, resulting in both drivers hitting the track's barrier at high speed and dropping out of the race.
Charles Leclerc won his hometown Monaco Grand Prix for the first time.
Chess
18-year-old D. Gukesh shattered Garry Kasparov’s long-standing record to become the youngest World Chess Champion after his victory over China’s Ding Liren.
Koneru Humpy beat Indonesia’s Irine Kharisma Sukandar to win FIDE World Rapid Championship 2024 in New York.
The Indian team’s splendid run at the Chess Olympiad 2024 saw it bagging its first-ever gold medal in both the Open and Women’s section in Budapest, Hungary.
GM R. Vaishali received the Arjuna Award for being the third Indian woman to achieve the GM title, joining Humpy and Dronavalli Harika. Her coach, RB Ramesh, was honoured with the Dronacharya Award for his contributions to Indian chess, mentoring both Vaishali and R. Praggnanandhaa.
Arjun Erigaisi made history by becoming the youngest Indian and only the second from the country after Vishy Anand to surpass the coveted 2800 Elo rating mark.
Magnus Carlsen officially withdrew from the FIDE Candidates 2024 in Toronto, forfeiting his spot to Azerbaijan’s Nijat Abasov. He later launched a World Freestyle Chess tour based on Chess960, which was created by former world champion Bobby Fischer.
R Praggnanandhaa stunned Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the Norway Chess tournament for his first win against the Norwegian in the classical game.
Nihal Sarin clinched the President Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
8-year-old Indian-origin boy Ashwath Kaushik become the youngest player to defeat a GM in classical chess.
At just three years, Anish Sarkar from Kolkata became the youngest-rated chess player in history.
🏆Other sports
Pankaj Advani clinched his 28th world title by defeating England’s Robert Hall 4-2 at the IBSF World Billiards Championship in Doha.
Chirag Chikkara made history by becoming only the third Indian wrestler to win the Under-23 World Championship.
Kansas City Chiefs won back-to-back Super Bowls, the New York Liberty took home its first WNBA championship title and the LA Dodgers became Major League Baseball's World Series champions.
Darts sensation Luke Littler at 17 years of age became the youngest player to win the World Darts Championship.
Puja Tomar became the first Indain MMA fighter to secure victory in UFC.
India topped the medals table in the shooting World Cup in Cairo by winning two gold, three silver and a bronze medal.
Sreeja Akula became the first Indian player to win a WTT Contender singles title in table tennis after she beat China’s Ding Yijie in Lagos.
Indian Para-shuttler Suhas Yathiraj, who clinched a World Championships gold in 2024, became World No. 1 for the first time.
Puneri Paltan defeated Haryana Steelers 28-25 to clinch its maiden PKL title in PKL 10. Haryana Steelers got their redemptuon when they defeated Patna Pirates in the final of PKL 11.
💁🏽Bizzare news
FC Goa launched an official complaint of spying against Mumbai City FC before their match on February 28.
Russia’s Andrey Rublev was defaulted from the Dubai Championships for allegedly using obscene language in an angry tirade at a line umpire.
The quarterfinal between Alexander Zverev and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells had to be suspended at 1-1 in the opening set due to a swarm of bees.
Djokovic accidentally got knocked on the head by a water bottle after his 6-3, 6-1 win in the first round of the Italian Open in Rome.
Australian men’s hockey player Tom Craig was suspended for 12 months by the sport’s national governing body for attempting to purchase cocaine at the Paris Olympics.
French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati’s disqualification became an overnight sensation after a video of him hitting the pole with his crotch before falling to the ground went viral.
Acting upon Bajrang Punia’s provisional suspension by National Anti-Doping Agency for his ‘refusal’ to give urine sample, United World Wrestling put the World and Olympic medal winning wrestler under suspension until December 31, 2024.
👴🏻Retirements
David Warner ended his Test career with 8,786 runs in 112 matches at an average of 44.59.
New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner ended his Test career with 260 wickets in 64 matches at an average of 27.57.
James Anderson signed off from international cricket with his 704th wicket, ending a 21-year-long career.
Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket. Since his ODI debut in 2010, Dhawan has played 167 matches and scored 6,793 runs, including 17 centuries. He also has 2,315 runs in 33 Tests for the country.
R. Ashwin announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket during the post-match press conference following India’s draw with Australia in the BGT. The all-rounder ends his career as India’s second-highest Test wicket-taker with 537 scalps.
Sunil Chhetri played his last match in national colours as India played a goalless draw against Kuwait. With 151 caps for India, Chhetri finished as the highest goalscorer for the country, finding the net 94 times.
Toni Kroos announced his retirement from international football after his team’s exit from the European Championship.
Portugal defender Pepe played his last game at Euro 2024, where Portugal lost to France on penalties in the quarterfinals.
Andrés Iniesta, who scored Spain’s World Cup-winning goal in 2010 announced his retirement from football in October.
Rafael Nadal’s legendary career ended with Spain’s quarterfinal defeat against Netherlands at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. The Spaniard’s French Open win-loss record is 112-4.
Spain’s former world number 1 and Wimbledon and French Open champion Garbine Muguruza announced her retirement.
Angelique Kerber retired after loss to China’s Zheng Qinwen in Paris Olympics.
Andy Murray retired from professional tennis as he and Daniel Evans went down to Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the men’s doubles quarterfinals at the Olympics.
Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro bid farewell after beating Novak Djokovic in an emotional exhibition match in front of his home crowd in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
PR Sreejesh, who closed his glorious two-decade-long international career, serving India with distinction.
Rani Rampal pulled the curtains on a 16-year-long career that saw her become the undisputed queen of Indian women’s hockey.
German Table tennis legend and four-time Olympic medalist Timo Boll called time on his international career after the German team fell to a 0-3 defeat to Sweden in the quarterfinals of Olympics.
Swimmer Joseph Schooling, Singapore’s first and only Olympic gold medalist, announced his retirement at 28. Known as “Singapore’s Flying Fish,” Schooling made history in 2016 by defeating his idol, Michael Phelps, to win the 100m butterfly at the Rio Olympics.
In Memorium
Aunshuman Gaekwad lost his battle with cancer. The C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award winner represented his country in 40 Tests and 15 ODIs from 1975 to 1987.
Former England cricketer and coach Graham Thorpe took his own life after a struggle with depression and anxiety fuelled by his failing health in the last two years. Thorpe played 100 Tests for England between 1993 and 2005, aggregating 6,744 Test runs with 16 centuries.
Frank Duckworth, one half of the team who pioneered the Duckworth-Lewis method for calculating target scores in limited-overs cricket hit by bad weather, died at the age of 84.
Bangladesh’s top-ranked Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman died at the age of 50 after suffering a stroke and collapsing on his board in the middle of a National Championship match.
Franz Beckenbauer, who won the football World Cup both as player and coach and became one of Germany’s most beloved personalities with his easy-going charm, passed away in January.
Swedish football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who became the first foreigner to lead the England national team, died at the age of 76.
Australian tennis player Neale Fraser, who won the Davis Cup four times and is the last man to win a triple crown -- singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at a Grand Slam -- passed away aged 91.
O.J. Simpson, the decorated NFL superstar who was first acquitted of charges of killing his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial, passed away aged 76.
Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach died in a car crash in Kenya. Kiptum was the first man to run the marathon in under 2 hours, 1 minute.
Jerry West, whose silhouette is the basis of the NBA logo, died aged 86.
And that’s a wrap for this special edition of Quizarc’s Sapere Aude newsletter, in which we delved into the top sports stories of 2024.
In the next edition we will be covering all the biggest ‘General’ stories.
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