This collection of sporting moments tries to supercede some of the obvious and go for what made compulsive viewing/listening/reading (it happened) in 2009 from my own perspective. Some, like Bolt's unstoppable wins in Berlin, were too big to ignore; others are unlikely to grace many 'Best of...' lists, unless you have some extremely specific parameters for them. All of these encompass the 'you remember where you were...' factor that great moments exude; all were twined with the uncertainty, the tension and that little bit of magic that makes sport so compelling. Generally speaking, the events are Brit/English/club-centric, as they capture those times when rooting for your home team makes the moment all the more important, others transcend the need to take national or local sides.
-Burnley win promotion to the Premier League (1)
For personal attachment, nothing can come close to the moment that Burnley secured their return to the top flight of English football by winning the Championship play-off final against Sheffield Utd. This I watched on the TV in a pub in Oxford, about a week before my final exams, so a much-needed relief was in order. Wade Elliot provided it with a stunning strike in the first half - worthy of winning any football match - followed by an hour of tension as the 1-0 scoreline was maintained. That made it extra-special in a way, having to go through that knowing the win was so close but so easily snatched away. Eventually we held out and the celebrations could start. But not for me as I had revising to do. I got a 2:1, thanks for asking :)
-Bradley Wiggins ascends Mont Ventoux to secure Tour de France fourth (2)
For the definitive 'moment', I constrained myself to pick one stage of Wiggo's epic 2009 Tour de France. It could have been the stage to Andorra-Arcalis, where he announced himself as a contender by finishing in the Armstrong/Schleck group, or the climb to Verbier where he actually attacked and beat Armstrong to the summit. Instead I went for the iconic penultimate stage to Mont Ventoux, where Wiggins was understandably hanging on with every ounce of determination and then some, to drag himself over the line with seconds to spare to hang on to his fourth place overall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWAjG5ndebo
While searching for videos for this I found one where he pushes a spectator out of his way - nice work, Brad!
-Jessica Ennis wins World Athletics heptathlon (3)
Again, I hasten to define a moment as being two days of competition. Perhaps if I had to pin it down it would be seeing Jess split 28 seconds at 200m for her 800m (and 60s at 400m), quicker than the heats of the actual women's 800m (see the vid). But that first day performance was immense; a dominant marker laid down in her strongest events, a PB in a weaker one (the shot put) set up a magic two days for the Sheffield star. Those who followed the sport knew it was coming for a while, those who didn't probably do now, thanks to her.
-Jenson Button wins for Brawn GP in Australia (4)
Again, this was a toss up between the drive that ended it all - the stunning champion's performance in Brazil - or the one which kicked off his world title season. In the end, I decided that the pole and victory in Australia was the stand out moment for me, just because of the relatively unexpected nature of the win- I say relatively because Brawn and his team were convinced all along they had a race-winning car, times in tests backed this up, and pole in Oz proved it. And of course the sheer romance of the occasion, which wore off a bit after 6 wins in 7 races.
-Usain Bolt runs 19.19 200m WR in Berlin (5)
Stunning. That's all anyone can truly say about Usain Bolt's 200m world record. Of course, all anyone actually talks about is the 100m record. But when Bolt set his 100m record in Beijing he was slowing down; showboating. We all knew he could run faster. His 200m run in the Bird's Nest was supposedly Bolt at his limit, straining to beat a supposedly unbeatable record, which he managed by 0.02 seconds. To see him, therefore, take over a tenth off that time in Berlin defied belief - he even said he was tired beforehand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EiPCfPROtE
-Phillips Idowu wins triple jump World Championships (6)
We've waited, like Jonathan Edwards has in BBC commentary, to say this; Philips Idowu is a World Champion. Well, he was already one, after all he won the indoor title with what still is his longest legal jump, indoors or out. But the outdoor title was the big one. In the context of his self-perceived Olympic 'failure' (where he won silver) this was massive. The outdoor lifetime best he produced to win the gold was one of those leap-from-your-seat moments (anyone who watches sport at home will attest to the existence of those) - from the split second he landed from the step phase and launched himself towards the pit it looked good. His great rival Evora couldn't respond even in the final round, the vaguely anti-climatic moment where victory is assured by another man's failure, not by the final word of the victor. But no matter. A popular champion was made.
-Mark Cavendish wins Milan-Sanremo (7)
Never mind the 6 wins in the Tour de France - they, to some extent, were expected. Everyone knew the competition was not up to scratch over a flat stage with the Columbia lead-out train and Cav to finish it off, like a striker tapping an exquisite cross into an open net (not to denigrate his success, he's put in that position because he is the best). But Milan-Sanremo was a different beast; the longest one-day race on the calendar, short, tough climbs to contend with near the end, plus the lack of prior experience led many to dismiss Cavendish's chances outright. And when Heinrich Haussler took off from the bunch that remained into the finish in Sanremo, it looked as though Cav would have to wait another year. But not so.
I 'followed' the race on cyclingnews.com's live online text coverage, so sitting there pressing F5 is perhaps not the most dramatic way to learn the outcome of a sporting, but the satisfaction I gleaned from reading the words of a Cavendish win was surprisingly immense.
-Hayley Yelling wins 2009 European Cross Country Championships (8)
It was the year of the comeback. Except this one wasn't really supposed to happen. While Armstrong, Watson and (nearly) Schumacher held down the fort for the old guard and dominated the sports headlines, the gutsy but quite clearly retired runner Yelling was merely 'keeping fit'. Tempted out of retirement to run the Liverpool Cross Challenge, she won, thereby qualifying for the upcoming Europeanns in Dublin. Yelling set off at the front, out alone by five seconds, as she headed a pack of talented runners all looking round at each other. Unfazed and unperturbed, Yelling ploughed her lone furrow out in the lead, that strong and all-encompassing running action never wavering. Commentators Cram and Foster actually started to believe she could win - that it came about a kilometre from the finish was no matter to those sat at home who always held it. Truly inspirational performance.
(Sorry, no vid)
-Russell Downing wins Tour of Ireland (9)
In which David slays Goliath, albeit in Ireland. Having been denied victory in 2008 by ruthless Team Columbia teamwork, Russell Downing was out to make amends. The Yorkshireman, who races mainly in Britain for a small domestic team, took on the might of some top European squads with headline-grabbing riders. While opponents in Ireland, Lance Armstrong and Mark Cavendish, were traversing France in the highest profile race in the world in July, Downing was mopping up wins in decidedly unglamarous places like Colne in Lancashire. It started with a win from a breakaway group on stage 1, and he held the yellow jersey going into the third and final day. The race finished in atrocious weather in Cork, with two ascents of St. Patrick's Hill in the town to contend with. This was too much for many, including Armstrong, who decided that there were many places he'd rather be than on a bike up a 25% gradient, in the pouring rain. Downing was isolated in a group of favourites at the front, and having been subjected to every attack the others could throw at him, launched a tour-winning counter attack. A much-deserved crack at the big time with the new Team Sky followed.
-Scotland beat Australia at Murrayfield (10)
The highlight of a rather drab Autumn International series, the Scots defended like hell for nearly the entire eighty minutes. There were about only three times Scotland made it over the Aussie's 10m line, and they resulted in three three-pointers; two penalties and a late drop goal. Australia's lone penalty score meant that only a converted try would do in the last few minutes, (one they should have had much earlier but for a mixture of mistakes and last-ditch tackling). Gold-and-green forward were camped on the Scottish try line in overtime, but they could not find a way through. Eventually, numbers told out wide and Cross, well, crossed over near the corner for five points. However, that gave the underperforming Matt Giteau a tough kick to win the game, and when it sailed wide, the Scots were rewarded with a heroic victory that demanded applause from everyone, no matter who you support.
missing the cut...(in no order)
England win the Ashes.
Roger Federer wins French Open and career Grand Slam.
Andy Murray defeats Stanislas Wawrinka under the lights at Wimbledon.
Dai Greene runs 48.24 for 400mH in Berlin semifinal.
Jenny Meadows 800m bronze.
GB men ride 2nd fastest team pursuit/women team pursuit WR.
Tom Watson *almost* winning the 2009 Open Championship.
