Unforgettable moments

It’s been a sporting year like none other. The Olympics was clearly the pinnacle although there have been so many other dramatic competitions and contests between individuals and teams.

Even when an individual succeeds there is a high degree of probability that there is a successful team behind him/her. 

Looking for the stand-out performer in a specific sport can be challenging enough so to pick an individual or team from all sports is almost impossible – and hugely subjective.

I will therefore defer to the experts at Laureus, the worldwide charitable foundation that is trying to change the world for good, using sport as a medium. Annually they select the most successful individuals and teams across several categories. The shortlist has been agreed having invited selected media and coaching specialists to submit their nominations. I will attempt to select the winner from this!

Do you select a team that has dominated in their sport, or does this simply mean that the opposition was weak? Should you prefer a team that has created a legacy over a number of years? Does the performance of a country playing in a global competition mean more than a team winning in a national tournament?

Reviewing teams this week, once again China were the dominant force in table tennis in the Olympic Games, winning all the medals they possibly could – four gold and two silver medals. It means, since 1988, when table tennis was added to the Olympics, China has won 23 out of a possible 27 gold medals. In the men’s individual competition, Zhang Jike won gold and Wang Hao won silver. Zhang and Wang teamed up with Ma Long to win the team gold. In the women’s individual competition, Li Xiaoxia took the gold and Ding Ning won silver. They were joined by Guo Yue in the women’s team event where they also won gold.

Spain won the 2012 European Championship under coach Vicente del Bosque to become the first national football team to win three major championships consecutively – Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and now Euro 2012. Such was the power and skill of their 4-0 win over Italy in the final that experts are asking the question: Are they the greatest international football team in history? Spain conceded only one goal in Euro 2012 such was their supremacy and no fewer than 10 of their players were named in the 23-strong Team of the Tournament, chosen by UEFA’s technical group. Andres Iniesta was named Best Player of Euro 2012 and striker Fernando Torres won the Golden Boot as leading scorer.

The Red Bull Formula One team won its third straight Constructors Championship with a strong run towards the end of the year. Powered by a Renault engine and created by top designer Adrian Newey, the car was upgraded at the Singapore Grand Prix at the end of September resulting in four straight Grand Prix wins from Sebastian Vettel in Singapore, Japan, Korea and India. Vettel also won the Bahrain Grand Prix in April, while his team-mate Mark Webber won in Monaco in May and the British Grand Prix in July.

The US won their 14th Olympic basketball gold medal in London as they beat Spain 107-100 in the final to defend the title they won in Beijing. Led by inspiring plays from LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and newcomer Kevin Durant, under coach Mike Krzyewski, who took over in 2006 when America’s basketball reputation was at its lowest, the US scored over 100 points in five of their seven matches, including a record 158 against Nigeria.

Miami Heat beat Oklahoma Thunder 4-1 in the NBA Play-offs to win their second NBA title. LeBron James was named MVP in the finals after averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. The highlight was Game 6 in the play-offs on the road at Boston. Trailing the series 2-3, the Heat produced a remarkable 98-79 victory to go 3-3, James scoring 45 pts and 15 rebounds. They then won Game 7 by 101-88 to secure a place in the final.

Under the inspirational captaincy of Jose Maria Olazabal, Europe produced a stunning final-day fightback to win golf’s Ryder Cup in Chicago. The US needed only four-and-a-half points from 12 singles matches to win, but it was the Europeans who won eight matches and halved another to secure a historic win. The match came down to a thrilling climax when Martin Kaymer sank a five-foot putt on the 18th green to get his team to the 14 points needed to retain the trophy. Then a Tiger Woods bogey against Francesco Molinari gifted Europe a half point to clinch overall victory. It was a fitting tribute to the late Seve Ballesteros, the man who did so much to reinvigorate the event and whose trademark navy blue and white the European side wore on the final day. Top performer was Ian Poulter who won all four matches he played.

I also believe there are some notable omissions from this list that deserve a mention.  For example, Team Sky, on their formation three years ago brazenly (according to some) announced that they would deliver Britain its first Tour de France winner within five years. Not only did they succeed, they also secured second position on the podium. This was followed, admittedly under a national guise, with the most successful Olympic track cycling performance in history. They achieved this while also adopting a stringent anti-drug policy.

South Africa’s cricketers have risen to top spot in the world rankings at the expense of England who they beat on their home turf 2-0 to get there. To create an analogy, think of Manchester City entering the final day of the season in second position and then claiming the title with a victory at Old Trafford! South Africa’s heroic top order then solidified this No. 1 ranking with a hard-earned victory in Australia who themselves could have taken the top-ranking with victory of their own.

An honourable mention should also go to The US Olympic Beach Volleyball Team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings who won their third consecutive Olympic beach volleyball title.

Another to miss out was the French men’s handball team who won their second straight Olympic gold medal, having also won in Beijing. Their success followed on from last year when they became the first team in 37 years to retain the world championship. They have now won five major titles in a row. In the final, France beat Sweden 22-21 in a thriller, with Luc Abalo scoring the crucial goal with just 60 seconds remaining.

While I would hand the European golfers the Comeback Title, for me the Team of the Year has to be the Chinese table tennis stars. They dominated at the Olympics which was merely a continuance of their exceptionally high level of play and legacy they have created. Only the perception of success against better competition could perhaps see Spain crowned, although I personally believe that China has achieved more!