Entertainment For Lively Minds
Sport of the Year
Posted by Iainso on 30 December 2009 - 1:23pm.
As a slight aside to David Wrights excellent thread on personal Finest Moments for 2009, may I lead you down a more specific, sporting avenue please?
Also, this gives me an excuse to mention again that this year contained the happiest sporting moment of my life, i.e. Ireland's Six Nations Grand Slam.
What was your favourite bit of sport this year?
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Probably Brawn GP's 1-2 in
Probably Brawn GP's 1-2 in Melbourne just a couple of weeks after the car first hit the track.
Tour de France
Contador may have been the favourite all the way, and the return of a Team Time Trial might've scuppered a few of the other contenders early on, but that final week was electrifying.
Agreed
Best TDF for some time. And the achievement of Mark Cavendish was outstanding. Looking forward to the new season for the first time in many years, finally looks like the sour taste of the drug scandals are slowly becoming a distant memory
Thirded
Cavendish was stunning; as was the superbly choreographed lead-out from the whole team.
In any team sport, there's a supreme pleasure in seeing a well-planned set piece work out as planned - Columbia/HTC did this over and over again this year.
Fourthed.
Loved it, and thought Wiggins was outstanding also.
Aye, but
Yeah, the Tour was good, but the one day classics pipped all that for me. In order of excitement:
Milan-San Remo: Cavendish's dying seconds sprint, jumping from what looked like an impossible distance back on Haussler to pip him on the line by millimetres, was the most impressive and exciting piece of cycling I have seen in a long time. And that was from out of the pack, without the lead out train he had at the Tour.
Paris-Roubaix: Tom Boonen's absolute beasting of the opposition in the last hour of the toughest day of cycling was awesome. Shame he chose to celebrate with a nose full of blow...
Fabian Cancellara's Worlds time trial: Head and shoulders above the world. Unprecedentedly good - he'd won it in the first twenty miles with some expert bike handling and enormous power. Seeing a time trial winner spend most of the last 300 metres of the races riding no-hands and waving to the crowd was something else. And he still won by minutes, not seconds.
Cadel!!!
Philip, had me say about Le Tour below.
But, Cadel attacking from seven or eight to go to win the Worlds road race was thrilling TV. A few miles away from his home and banishing the comments of the knockers after the Tour failure.
Well done that lad.
Oh, I agree
I was going to add that as my fourth, but ran out of steam. Before that race, I'd never have imagined me cheering Cadel on, but when he went for it I was out of my seat, willing him to the line.
Great end to the year for Cadel
He'd had an awful season and you could see how much he wanted it in those final miles.
Plus, after seven hours of racing, it was nice to hear Hugh Porter talk about someone -other- than the Italian and Spanish teams.
Rugger/ Hurling/ Cycling
Agree with Iain about Six Nations - went to the wire.
All Ireland hurling final - Kilkenny showed why they are the kings with with a stunning three minute two goal-handful of points burst.
Re: Le Tour - I didn't think it was a particularly dramatic tour as the result was never in doubt - Contador won, excuse the pun, in first gear. Certainly not as dramatic as the Giro where Menchov cowped in torrential rain in the final kilometre of the final day TT and only had a few seconds on Di Luca. (*coughs* what happened him?)
But, it was a classic Tour thanks to the route and the sight of Wiggo matching and even attacking the best on each mountain stage bar one. His ride on the Ventoux was fist shakingly incredible.
Second only to Cavendish taking the most convincing victory in Paris since Vinoukorov or Hinault before him the following day. Brilliant.
Oh and Brian O'Driscoll
Try to tie it against the Aussies and then...
Ireland v South Africa, final minute at Croker and BOD emptied Zane Kirchner showing why he is the greatest rugby player of his generation in either attack or defence.
The Ashes
More specifically the sessions where England dominated, such as Flintoff and Broad's great bowling spells.
barnsley beating boro
on monday was pretty good!
Wolves winning the Championship
was my highlight, followed by the Irish Grand Slam, Barca winning the European Cup in such great style and a fascinating Tour de France.
Can't say I'm enjoying Wolves season in the Prem so far, much too nerve wracking.
Federer v Roddick
Didn't think anything could outdo Fed v Nadal - last year - but this was another epic.
And, of course, The Ashes - along with Broad and Flintoff spells - the decisive session was Monty and Jimmy surviving last 12 overs at Cardiff
Watson at The Open.
I got to Turnberry just as Tom finished his first round and the applause was ringing round the grandstands. We looked at the leaderboards and thought how nice it was to see the Old Fella's name at the top. Then it just stayed there..
What a shame the fairytale didn't come true.
Usain Bolt's 100m at the World Championships was jaw-dropping.
I shouted loud and long for Jessica Ennis as well.
Beth Tweddle needs a mention for her performance on the floor at the World Championships.
A few from me:-
Carl Froch's last-round KO of Jermain Taylor:
Usain Bolt doing it again:
...and Jessica Ennis winning the heptathlon gold: