5 of the best and worst sports moments of 2023

It was another astonishing year of sporting drama, with victories for Europe’s Ryder Cup team, a near miss for the England women’s footballers and a title defense nightmare for the men’s cricketers.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at five of the best and worst sporting moments of 2023.

Best moments

Perfection in darts in the final of the World Championship

Michael Smith fired a stunning nine-darter in one of the best legs in World Championship history during the early stages of the final with Michael Van Gerwen. In the third leg of the second set it was Van Gerwen who had the first chance at perfection, but he missed double 12. However, Smith, who threw second, was right behind him and made no mistake, after seven consecutive treble 20s with a treble 19 and the prized double 12 to drive the Alexandra Palace crowd wild. Smith’s perfect leg was the only second in a World Cup final and he went on to claim a 7–4 victory.

Unseeded Vondrousova wins Wimbledon

Marketa Vondrousova defeated favorite Ons Jabeur in straight sets to make history as the first unseeded women’s singles champion at Wimbledon. The Czech player took advantage of a nervy performance from Jabeur to claim a 6-4 6-4 win, just eight months after being ranked outside the world’s top 100 and winning a slightly less prestigious tournament at The Shrewsbury Club in Shropshire. With the Princess of Wales and tennis kings Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King watching from the front row of the Royal Box, Vondrousova recovered from 4-2 down in the opening set and 3-1 down in the second set to create a first grand slam title was secured. .

The story continues

Europe retains Solheim Cup after exciting draw in Spain

Home favorite Carlota Ciganda played a starring role as Europe retained the Solheim Cup after a thrilling 14-14 draw with the United States, the first in the history of the biennial competition. Trailing 4-0 after the opening foursome, Suzann Pettersen’s side rallied brilliantly at Finca Cortesin and it fittingly fell to Spanish star Ciganda to ensure the trophy would stay in Europe with her fourth win from four games . Pettersen, who will also captain Virginia next year, said: “This is one of the best things I have been a part of and this is what makes the Solheim Cups so special. It’s going to be a pretty good party tonight.”

Double gold for Great Britain at the World Athletics Championships

Katarina Johnson-Thompson completed a stunning comeback to regain her world heptathlon title, finishing just 20 points ahead of American favorite Anna Hall in Budapest. It marked a remarkable return to the top for the 30-year-old after a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2020 and a calf injury at the Tokyo Olympics forced her to retire after day one. Three days later, Josh Kerr succeeded compatriot Jake Wightman as world champion in the 1,500 meters, outsmarting odds-on favorite Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the home leg.

Europe regains Ryder Cup in Rome

Two years after a humiliating defeat by a record 19-9 margin at Whistling Straits, Europe impressively regained the Ryder Cup from the United States against Marco Simone. Superbly captained by Luke Donald, who had inherited the role when Henrik Stenson was sacked to join LIV Golf, the home side made the ideal start with an unprecedented 4-0 whitewash in the opening fours and never loosened their grip, with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland live up to their star status.

Worst moments

Adam Johnson dies after an accident during an ice hockey match

Ice hockey and the wider sporting world were shocked by the death of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson in what the club described as a freak accident. The 29-year-old American died on October 28 after being hit in the neck by an opponent’s skate during a match at the Nutita Arena in Sheffield. Minnesota-born Johnson played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League before spending the 2020-21 season in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks.

WTA Finals makes top players feel ‘disrespected’

For the third year in a row, a decision on the location for the season-ending showpiece was made late, with Cancun unsurprisingly proving to be a poor choice in hurricane season. World number two Aryna Sabalenka easily won her opening match but then took to social media to criticize the arrangements for players, who were only able to practice in the temporary arena for the first time the day before the matches started. “I am very disappointed with the WTA and the experience so far at the WTA Finals,” Sabalenka wrote. “As a player I really feel disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do. To be honest, I often don’t feel safe on this field.”

Sir Bobby Charlton dies

Tributes poured in from the football world following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton in October at the age of 86. He was a key member of England’s victorious 1966 World Cup team and also enjoyed great success at club level with Manchester United, who became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968. That triumph came ten years after the Munich air disaster, which Charlton and team manager Sir Matt Busby survived but which claimed the lives of eight of Charlton’s team-mates. Charlton played in the World Cup final together with his brother Jack, who died in 2020, and won 106 caps for England and scored 49 goals. His death means Sir Geoff Hurst is the only remaining member of the squad after the World Cup victory.

Luis Rubiales overshadows Spain’s World Cup victory

Spain’s victory over England in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney was overshadowed by the actions of Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales, who celebrated his country’s victory by clutching his crotch as he stood next to Spain’s Queen Letizia and 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofia stood. a VIP box and then kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation. Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual and after a long-running saga in which his mother went on a brief hunger strike, Rubiales eventually resigned and was banned by FIFA from all football-related activities for three years.

English cricket world cup defense

England arrived in India as reigning champions eager to cement their legacy as the premier white-ball side of their generation. They left after six long and chastening weeks with their tail firmly between their legs, having summoned a disastrous cocktail of muddled selection, tactical naivete and poor form in the middle. Captain Jos Buttler personified their struggles as they endured their worst ever run of results at the tournament, unable to make a dent with the bat as his side were humiliated by Jonathan Trott’s Afghanistan and a Sri Lanka side, aided by the dismissals England coach Chris Silverwood. A seventh place somehow flattered them.