Athletes across sport put in some standout performances last week, with the ICC World T20 finals, El Clasico and the Bahrain Grand Prix all held during the course of the week.
Here we pick our 5 best sporting performances from the past week:
Carlos Brathwaite
The West Indies were locked in a close contest with England for the ICC World T20 trophy. That fight would go on till the final over, with the Windies in a crunch, needing 19 runs from the final 6 balls of the match.
Marlon Samuels, 85*, had already put in a solid innings, but it appeared not to have been enough. And then came Carlos Brathwaite.
Brathwaite had earlier struck with the ball, taking 3 wickets and playing a large part in helping restrict the England side to 156. That total stll appeared to be a difficult one for the Caribbean side, who looked to be on the verge of losing in the final over.
Deciding to take the match into his own hands, Brathwaite hit four sixes off consecutive deliveries to take the West Indies over the finish line and hand his side the Cup. He will next be seen playing for the Delhi Daredevils in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
Novak Djokovic
He’s ruling the tennis world in more ways than one. After his title in Indian Wells, Novak Djokovic has completed the Sunshine Double, winning the Miami Masters in Key Biscayne, Florida, with a clinical 6-3, 6-3 victory over Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
That victory saw Djokovic win the 63th title of his illustrious career, and his 28th Masters. He matches American former World No. 1 Andre Agassi, who also holds 63 career titles.
With the US$ 1.08 million win, Djokovic also became the all-time highest-earning athlete in tennis, surpassing Roger Federer for the title. The Serb is now at $98million, with the Swiss at $97 million.
Djokovic has won four titles so far in 2016, only losing out in Dubai as he retired from his quarter-final match against Fernando Verdasco with an eye infection. That dominant form will stand the Serb in good stead as he goes into the French Open, a tournament at which he has reached the finals on three occasions but is yet to win
He reached the finals most recently in 2015, losing out to Stan Wawrinka and prompting renewed discussion about his apparent cursed luck at Roland Garros. But given not only his wins but the convincing fashion in which he has taken them, it looks likely Novak Djokovic will finally break his jinx and win his 12th Grand Slam – and first French Open.
LeBron James
Logging heavy minutes, putting up big numbers and leading his team to victories no matter what, looks like the Playoff version of LeBron James has arrived early in Cleveland. In the overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks last Friday, James with 29 points and 16 rebounds was only one assists shy of his season’s fourth triple double.
There are many who believe that James is no longer the best player in the league and that Stephen Curry is taking over his throne however the King is not letting go easily. Huge numbers with high efficiency has become a trademark of James come Playoff time but with his team needing his leadership on the court, James has answered his team’s call.
Over the course of this past season, James has tried to step back and let others lead the team with their talent. That didn’t work out too well with the team being too inconsistent to carry any momentum heading into the Playoffs. What the Cavaliers always seem to need is James’ physical dominance on the court, at least that how it looks going by the team’s results in the past four games.
Stoffel Vandoorne
Belgian racer Vandoorne made a surprise Formula One debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix, necessitated by Fernando Alonso’s injuries at the Australian Grand Prix. Following the shunt between two-time World Champion Alonso and Haas F1’s Esteban Gutierrez in Melbourne, the Spaniard was deemed unfit by FIA medical officials to race in Bahrain.
Fresh off winning the GP2 title with consistent performances through 2015, Vandoorne partnered Jenson Button in Sakhir, and outperformed the 2009 champion. Experienced with the Sakhir circuit from his GP2 days, the 24-year-old outqualified the Briton, finishing the qualification session in P12 ahead of Button in P14.
He’d go one better come race day. With Button retiring with power issues after a strong start and a likely points finish, Vandoorne took on responsibility for the team, and finished his first ever Formula One race in the points.
It is unsure if he will get another ride in 2016 given Alonso will likely be recovered in time for the Chinese Grand Prix, but the driver has impressed on debut – and become the first Belgian driver to score points in Formula One since Thierry Boutsen finished fifth for Ligier in Australia in 1992.
Boutsen was not as well known, perhaps, as Belgian racing icon Jacky Ickx, who retired in 1979, and Vandoorne will look to emulate the records of Ickx, who, with eight wins and 25 podium finishes, was Belgium’s most successful Formula One driver.
Casemiro
The Real Madrid star was instrumental in his side’s 2-1 victory at El Clasico this weekend, breaking up attacks as his teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema scored to defeat hosts Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
His effort was acknowledged by manager Zinedine Zidane, who is also Casemiro’s childhood idol. Following Los Blancos’ victory, the French football icon said he could not “...name one player above the rest of the team,” but that “...Casemiro has been a crucial player for the team.”
The defensive midfielder was responsible for keeping Lionel Messi in check as his side overcame an early 0-1 deficit to defeat their hosts.
