The year of 2019 has been an incredible one for stand out sporting moments across the world. As we see the year out, and a new decade in, there’s still a plethora of exciting tournaments, leagues and events happening and also to look forward to.
This year, Manchester City’s one-point Premier League victory over Liverpool was certainly a tense, gripping highlight of the sporting calendar. We’re currently midway through this season, where Liverpool are favourites with betting experts William Hill to take the title.
What are your 2019 sporting highlights? Take a look through our six picks below.
England win Cricket World Cup in Super Over
Eoin Morgan’s England side took on Kane Williamson’s New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup at Lord’s Cricket Ground in a dramatic final match of the tournament. The game spectacularly went to a Super Over after the first ever tie in a World Cup final. Both teams had a final chance to clinch victory – and it was England who came out victorious, taking a run out from the final ball of the match. Ben Stokes’ man of the match, 84 not-out performance was a heroic display.
Kipchoge becomes sub 2-hour marathon man
In October Eliud Kipchoge defied what anyone thought was possible and ran a marathon (26.2 miles, or 42.2km) in under two hours. His official time was a staggering one hour 59 minutes and 40 seconds. Six months earlier Kipchoge had won the London Marathon for the fourth time.
Rapinoe has golden year
It’s been an incredible year for the captain of the USA’s women’s national soccer team. Megan Rapinoe led her side to World Cup glory, picked up the Golden Ball and Golden Boot along the way and then Fifa best player of the year and is now the winner of the Ballon d’Or. The 34-year-old has certainly had a 2019 to remember.
Patriots make history
Even though the Super Bowl LIII was a pretty uneventful affair with the New England Patriots defeating the Los Angeles Rams in a low scoring 13-3 game, the occasion was still significant. The Patriots equalled Pittsburgh’s record of six Super Bowl wins and their stalwart quarterback became the first player to ever win six Super Bowls, too. Meanwhile coach Bill Belichick became the oldest coach to win at 66-years-old.
Woods wins first major since 2008
Many golf fans had written Tiger Woods off – after all he’s been riddled with injury woes and hadn’t won a major since 2008. Earlier this year, eleven years after his third US Open win, Woods put in a fairytale performance to win the Masters at Augusta at the age of 43.
New Zealand take the Netball World Cup title
In the build up to the Netball World Cup, New Zealand’s netball squad had seen many changes after failure at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Silver Ferns brought in new coach Noeline Tauraua and experienced players Laura Langman and Casey Kopua back into the fold. Defender Kopua was crowned Player of the Match in the 52-51 final victory over Australia and later revealed she was pregnant during their World Cup run. The Ferns had last won the World Cup title in 2003, and with less than a year in charge of the team, Tauraua turned the fate of this squad around to take a victory that will go down in the sport’s history.
