A-Z: The year gone by

Here is a list of accomplishments and achievements by individuals and teams, and things that left an impact in the sporting world in the last 12 months.

A-nand : Last year, we saw our very own Viswanathan Anand successfully defend his World Chess Championship title. Not only that, but he also won the ‘Indian Sportsperson of the Year’ and the ‘Indian of the Year’ award.

B-olt : Usain Bolt created world records in the men’s 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4*100 metres relay in the recent London Olympics. 3 gold medals against his name in one Olympics! He was also awarded ‘IAAF World Athlete of the year’ and ‘BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year’. A legend, indeed.

C-heats : Unfortunately, the last year saw quite a lot of cheats in the sporting world. From cricket to athletics, match-fixing and doping were a part of a few disgraced sportsmen and sportswomen. However, the biggest doping scandal that was unveiled was of Lance Armstrong, a fallen hero.

D-jokovic : There was a time when predicting a Grand Slam final between Federer and Nadal was probably as easy as predicting whether Messi would score a goal in his next match. But since the past few years, there is Novak Djokovic, the Serb. And last year saw him winning the hard-fought Australian Open and take over the No.1 spot in the ATP rankings.

E-PL : The English Premier League is, undoubtedly, the most competitive league in the world. Imagine, the winner emerging in injury time before the final whistle of the last match of the league season was blown. Yes, I’m talking about Manchester City’s win over QPR and thereby, their victory over rivals Manchester United on the basis of goal difference.

F-arah : On 4^th August last year, Mo Farah won the gold medal in the men’s 10,000 metres race at the 2012 London Olympics. A week later, he won another gold medal in the men’s 5,000 metres race at the same Olympics. Last year, he also won the gold medal in the European Athletics Championship. Deservingly, he was awarded the ‘2012 European Athlete of the Year’ award. And, oh, he gave us ‘Mobot’, his signature pose.

G-ayle : Chris Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board reaching an understanding that paved the way for the cricketing superstar to return to his national side. Result? Well, West Indies won the ICC T20 World Cup. The sport needs such character.

H-IL : HIL, an abbreviation for Hockey India League, is probably the best thing to have happened for the sport. It’s really good for the sport. The (Indian) players will earn money that they totally deserve, they’ll gain experience by playing alongside international stars of the game, and, of course, they’ll get more exposure.

I-niesta : Well, Barcelona wouldn’t have been as good a team as they are without Andres Iniesta. He’s the best playmaker around, and finished 3^rd in the Ballon d’Or contention. He was also a part of the 2012 Euro Cup winning team, Spain. He also featured in the 2012 Team of the Year compiled by UEFA. As an individual, he went on to win ‘UEFA Best Player in Europe’ award.

J-uventus : In the long run, every team has to face defeat at some point or the other. Last year, we saw Italian club Juventus’ inspiring accomplishment of 49 matches unbeaten. Respect.

K-olkata Knight Riders : Who could have thought that a team which, before the start of the 5^th edition of IPL, hadn’t even finished amongst the top 4, would go on to win the league? A surprise winner in last year’s IPL, beating two-time winners and defending champions CSK in the finals.

L-ondon Olympics : It’s over. The best athletes have won their meals, the Olympics committee is looking forward for the next edition, London has moved on; but it’s always interesting to look back at the wonderful highlights of the game. To the pride (and to some extent, to the surprise) of many, London has made the world proud. From being left in tatters after the 2011 riots in London, the city has definitely emerged as a clear winner from the 2012 Olympics. London Olympics made a promise to inspire young people around the world through sport. They did live up to their promise.

M-essi : Now Lionel Messi. A world record of 91 goals in one calendar year, 4^th consecutive Ballon d’Or, so many other awards, so many goals, so many records and so many followers. His achievements are uncountable. Without a doubt, he’s the best footballer around, period.

N-adal : The year started pretty well for Rafa. Although he didn’t win the 1^st Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, the finals between Djokovic and him lasted for 5 hours and 53 minutes, the longest for a Grand Slam title. Later, he won his 7th French Open, beating Djokovic and thereby, surpassed Borg’s tally of 6 French Open titles. Well, the latter half of the year wasn’t good for Nadal, with an injury keeping him away from the game.

O-ppa Gangnam Style : Although not at related to sports, this made a huge mark in the sporting world. The West Indies Cricket team did it, Kevin Pieterson did it. Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova, James Hahn, Sebastian Vettel, they all did it. And they did it in style.

P-istorious : Oscar Pistorious gave us hope and inspiration. He won more love and respect than probably any other sportsperson in the 2012 London Olympics. Being a double amputee, he participated in the men’s 400 metres and 4*100 metres relays in the 2012 London Olympics. He also took part in the 2012 London Paralympics and went on to win the men’s 400 metres and 4*100 metres relay.

Q-uits : One reason why 2012 wasn’t a good year for sports is the fact that Rahul Dravid V.V.S Laxman, Ricky Ponting, Mark Boucher, Brett Lee, Andy Roddick, Kim Klijters, Michael Schumacher and more called it quits from their respective sporting careers. The common trait – they were amongst the best in their respective sport.

R-onaldo : This man has over 50 million fans on Facebook, the most for any sportsperson. He played a very important role in his team’s (Real Madrid) La Liga triumph. He also led his national team to the bronze in the 2012 EURO Cup. As an individual, he won the FIFA Ballon d’Or silver award, finishing second to Lionel Messi.

S-harapova : Maria Sharapova won her 1^st French Open title, and in the process, won her 4^th Grand Slam title and also completed her career Grand Slam. She, thereby, regained her No.1 rank in the WTA rankings. Not to forget, Sharapova and her ‘oomph’ factor! Oh, boy!

T-endulkar : 100^th hundred for Sachin Tendulkar. What a moment that was for every cricket lover. You can love him or envy him, but you just can’t hate him. More to come from the cricketing God, we believe. Unfortunately, for his fans, he retired from the One Day format of the game.

U-NICEF : It collaborated with International Inspiration and, as a result, saved more than 1,50,000 lives by teaching children survival swimming in the flood-prone Bangladesh. Together, they have enriched the lives of more than 12 million young people around the world. All around the world, UNICEF is getting children involved in sports. Most importantly, UNICEF has been an inspiration for sports by every mean.

V-ettel : Sebastian Vettel won 5 Grand Prix, including the Indian Grand Prix. He also won his 3^rd consecutive championship, beating Fernando Alonso by a mighty 3 points.

W-eir : David Weir, another hero of the London Olympics. Most people haven’t heard this name before, probably because the media didn’t pay much attention to his accomplishments. He won the paralympic gold medal in the men’s 800 metres, 15oo metres and 5000 metres, as well as the marathon. Oh, and he participated in just 4 events.

X-avi : Xavi Hernandez, another Spaniard and Barcelona player to have featured in the ‘2012 Team of the Year’ compiled by UEFA. Along with Iniesta, he makes one of the best footballing pairs of all times. And how he describes the sound of the ball between Iniesta and him – “Pum, pum, pum, pum”. Having renewed his contract with Barcelona, his stock is only growing.

Y-uvraj Singh : There was Lance Armstrong and now there’s Yuvraj Singh. He kicked out cancer (hopefully, forever). It obviously wasn’t an easy battle, but this man has a brave heart. “The fitness Yuvraj Singh regained didn’t come sitting at home,” said Sachin Tendulkar. The second best thing? He won the Arjuna Award.

Z-ara : Zara Anne Elizabeth Tindall, or better known as Zara Phillips. If you’re wondering that how did she made it to this article, then well, she is the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and was a part of the Great Britain equestrian team that won the silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics. Well, the royal family is certainly proud too.

Post Script: Accomplishments as of 1st February, 2012 – 31st January,2013 have been considered.