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In the second part of this series, we take a look at numbers 7 through 4 in the list of unforgettable sports stories.
7) Sir Lancelot – Lance Armstrong
I’m pretty sure every sports fan would know this guy. Even if they don’t know him for the sport he played, or for the number of astounding records he has set, people would know him because of his reputation as a fighter, a warrior, a true epitome of the never-say-die spirit – qualities that we all admire, and wish we had. Lance Armstrong was a professional cyclist who won the gruelling, energy-sapping Tour de France a remarkable seven consecutive times, and all this after he nearly lost his life to the dreaded disease of cancer.
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He was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer in October 1996. The cancer, by then, had spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. He was given a 40% survival chance. He survived, and against all odds, went on to write one of the most awe-inspiring stories ever. His haul of seven Tour de France wins still stands as a record. Back home, our own cricketing hero Yuvraj Singh took inspiration from Armstrong’s autobiography “Its not about the bike”, in his own personal battle against lung cancer. As have millions of others.
Lance may not be the most well-known personality identified with his surname (that might still be a certain Neil), but he has left his indelible mark on cycling, sports, and humanity in general.
6) Bob Beamon – Mexico Games (1968)
Most of the moments in this list had a certain build-up. People were never sure, but somehow they had a strange feeling of what was coming. They would want to admit that they never saw it coming, that it was completely unexpected, but somehow, in the remotest corner of their minds, there always was a spoiler alert.
But nobody thought they would see Bob Beamon fly. It was the ’68 summer Olympics at Mexico City. Bob Beamon was an American long jumper who was among the favourites to clinch gold. But when he did the run up and leapt, it seemed as if the world had stopped moving. It looked as though time was taking a break. It was all in slow mo. The world saw as he leapt a distance of 8.90 meters (29.5 feet), and in doing so, breaking, no, shattering the then existing world record by nearly 2 feet. In a sport where records took a tumble more often than Manchester United’s Nani (a skillful player nonetheless), Beamon’s behemoth number stood for no less than 22 years.
After the leap, a few of the comments he received were, “You have destroyed this event”, “you’re the man who saw lightning”, and there’s even a book dedicated to the moment named, “The perfect jump”.
See the amazing feat for yourself:
5) South Africa vs Australia (Johannesburg 2006)
As Mark Boucher smashed Brett Lee for a four down the ground, the cricketing world erupted; they had witnessed a match the like of which had never been seen, heard or expected. Neither team deserved to lose that night.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy about sport is the significance of the word ‘better’. However brilliant you are on a certain day (you might even be at your best), the only thing that matters is that you have to better your opponents. The Australians were good. Heck, they were brilliant. Ricky Ponting was outstanding in his innings of 164. Batting first, they blew away the record for the highest score in an innings. They amassed 434 runs, and in doing so, became the first team to break the 400 run barrier. But the script had yet to be completed. It had to come full circle. South Africa, unbelievably, chased it down, and appropriately enough, as the world’s most entertaining commentator, Tony Grieg, put it, “The South Africans at the Bullring today have seen the best one day international ever played.”
4) Wilt Chamberlain
On a cold, rainy Friday night in 1962, only 4,124 spectators paid to see the basketball game in Pennsylvania. The 8000-capacity stadium was half empty (yes, I’m a pessimist). There was no video coverage of the game. The world would miss something truly remarkable.
The game was between Philadelphia Warriors and New York Knicks. The Warriors’ fans were expecting a lot from their star center, Chamberlain. Little did they know that he would go on to become the first and only person to score 100 points in a single NBA game. Considering that in modern day basketball, teams as a whole find it difficult to notch up three figures, the record set by Wilt Chamberlain truly proves what an extraordinary night that was.
After 3 quarters, Chamberlain had scored 69 points and thought he was in line to overhaul his previous record of 78 in a single game. He did that with nearly 8 minutes left on the clock. This sent the crowd into a frenzy and they bore down with chants saying “Give it to Wilt!” and “100! 100!”. The moment came with 46 seconds left. Chamberlain got free from the five Knicks, jumped high and put the ball into the basket to hit the century mark. At that moment the arena then went nuts and over 200 spectators stormed the floor, wanting to touch the hero of the night. The closest he ever came again was at 73 points the next season.
The overall score on the night was Warriors 169-147 Knicks, but yeah, who cares?
