15 heartbreaking images in recent sports history

Sport is the best form of reality TV. Nothing is scripted. Athletes go through a multitude of emotions during some of the biggest matches of their career. There can only be one winner at the end of the day. Players give their best, but fall short in crucial moments to come second best. There is no place to hide at the end of a hard fought game. Here are 15 such hertbreaking moments from the world of sports in recent memory.

#15 Andrew Flintoff consoles Brett Lee - Ashes 2005

Australia had won the first match of the Ashes series in 2005 in Lord’s. There was pressure on hosts England to level the series in the second test at Edgbaston. Andrew Flintoff came to the party and how. The Englishman picked up 7 wickets and scored 141 runs in the match.

Australia fell short by two runs. Brett Lee was left stranded at the other hand on 43 not out as he saw Michael Kasprowicz’s dismissal off a Steve Harmison bouncer.

Flintoff walked up to Lee and consoled him after a tough loss.

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#14 Liu Xiang - withdrawal in 2008 Olympics

Liu Xiang was the crowd favorite in the 110 m hurdles event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A gold medallist at the 2004 Athens games, a world record at the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne in 2006 and a World Championship gold in Osaka were some of his achievements leading up to the event.

As fate might have it, Liu withdrew from the event due to a recurring Achilles tendon injury. There were tears on everyone present in the stadium as Liu walked off in pain. His coach Sun Haiping couldn’t control his emotions during a press briefing.

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#13 Sarita Devi refusing bronze medal at the Asian Games

Indian boxer Sarita Devi was denied a place in the final after a controversial decision in the 57-60 Kg category semifinal against South Korea’s Jina Park. The 30-year-old refused the bronze medal during the presentation ceremony and was in tears at not being able to have a shot at gold.

#12 Phil Mickelson - 2013 US Open

The only major missing from Phil Mickelson’s trophy cabinet is the US Open. He came ever so close to capturing it in 2013.

Mickelson led by one shot on the final day and was the only player that was under par for the tournament. Bogeys on holes three and five wasn’t the kind of start the American expected in the final round.

Eagle on the 10th kept him in the hunt, but bogeys on the 13th and the 15th holes meant it was a difficult road back for Mickelson. Justin Rose won his first major title.

This was the record sixth time that Mickelson finished as the runner-up at the US Open.

#11 Phillip Hughes lying on the pitch

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died two days after he was struck on the head by a Sean Abbott bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

He succumbed to his injuries three days before his 26th birthday. The entire cricketing world mourned his death.

#10 Sachin Tendulkar\'s final international game

Sachin Tendulkar played his final test match at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. It was Tendulkar’s 200th test match and the legendary batsman shed tears as he left his home ground for one last time.

#9 Kumar Sangakkara walking back to the pavilion in his last ODI

Kumar Sangakkara was the second highest run-getter in the recently concluded World Cup. He scored four centuries on the trot to help Sri Lankareach the quarterfinals. The 1996 World champions bowed out in the semifinals after a dismal showing against South Africa.

#8 Italy Vs Germany - 2006 World Cup semifinal

Germany were just one game away from reaching the World Cup finals in front of their home crowd. They took on Italy in the semifinals at Dortmund. No goals were scored by either team for 118 minutes of the match..

Fabio Grosso scored the first goal for Italy and Alessandro del Piero doubled the lead with only few seconds left in the game. The German fans were heartbroken to see their team getting knocked out in the last four.

#7 MS Dhoni getting emotional after semifinal

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni could not hide his emotions in the presentation ceremony following the semifinal loss against Australia. India had won all their seven games in the tournament before their clash against Australia.

#6 Brazil\'s exit from the 2014 World Cup

Brazil were without the services of star striker Neymar and skipper Thiago Silva in their semifinal against Germany. The Germans were too good for the hosts as they reached the final by thrashing Brazil 7-1. The fans in the stadium and elsewhere could not believe the carnage.

#5 Paula Radcliffe fails to finish in Athens 2004 Olympics

The current world record holder in marathon, Paula Radcliffe didn’t have a great outing at Athens during the 2004 Olympic games. The 3-time London marathon champion was in fourth place when she pulled out of the 26-mile run. The reason for her not completing the race is unknown, but many felt that a high temparature of 35 ºC could be the reason.

#4 Jean van de Velde - 1999 loss at the Open Championship

Jean Van de Velde was clearly the favorite going into the 18th hole of the final round of the Open Championship. He had a three stroke lead and looked set to get his hands on the trophy.

However, he triple bogeyed the hole off his final shot and it went to a three man playoff. The Frenchman lost the playoff and lost a chance to grab his only major championship.

#3 AB De Villiers and South Africa after losing the World Cup semifinal

South Africa were one of the pre-tournament favorites to win the World Cup this year. They had a good batting lineup, a good bowling lineup and are one of the best fielding sides in the world.

However, they came up against an inspired New Zealand side, who chased down a target of 298 (Duckworth – Lewis method) with a ball to spare. The African nation missed out on reaching their first ever World Cup final and the players were in tears after the game.

#2 Zinedine Zidane walking past the World Cup in 2006

Zinedine Zidane led the French team to the finals of the 2006 World Cup against Italy. He scored the first goal in the seventh minute of the final. Marco Materazzi levelled scores for Italy in the 19th minute. Both teams had chances to go ahead, but could not capitalise.

The match went ot extra time. There was a brief exchange of words between Materazzi and Zidane, before the French skipper headbutted the Italian. The referee issued Zidane a red card. He became only the fourth player to be sent off in a World Cup final.

Zidane walking the World Cup is still a defining image in world football.

#1 Roger Federer - 2009 Australian Open

It is the final everyone were looking for. Roger Federer Vs Rafael Nadal. It was a classic battle between the arch rivals as no player gave an inch to the other. Nadal handled the pressure better and came out on top 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–2 to win his first Australian Open title. He became the first Spaniard to achieve this feat.

Federer was in tears when he collected the runners-up trophy from Rod Laver.