2021 was indeed a roller coaster ride for everyone and especially for sports fans, here are the top 10 best sporting moments of 2021 of all sports
2021 was a happy year for sports fans as many countries were easing the Covid-19 restrictions after a noteworthy decline in the cases. 2020 was filled with matches without an audience, virtual matches, tournaments getting canceled, players testing positive for Covid-19, and whatnot. Here are the top 10 best sporting moments of 2021 that you would not want to miss.
Best Sporting Moments 2021 List
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021
This was the most awaited cricket tournament for the global cricket fanbase and especially in India, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni returned as the ‘Team Mentor’ of the Indian Cricket Team after his retirement on August 15, 2020.
The tournament was quite an excitement for fans as Australia was the champion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. This was Australia’s first ICC Men’s T20 Cup win as they defeated mighty New Zealand by 8 wickets to clinch the title.
US Open 2021
The US Open Tennis Championships 2021 was a sad tournament for Novak Djokovic and his fans as Djokovic was on the verge of winning a Calendar Grand Slam if he won the US Open 2021. Unfortunately, Djokovic lost to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 in the final of the US Open 2021. Djokovic had a splendid journey to reach the finals, but Medvedev proved dominant right from the first set.
Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympics 2020 were held in Tokyo from July 23, 2021, to August 8, 2021. The Olympics were scheduled to be held in 2020, but the games were postponed due to a massive global outbreak of Covid-19.
The United States of America finished first with 39 gold, 41 silver, and 33 bronze medals, followed by China with 38 gold, 32, silver, and 18 bronze medals. India finished 48th place with 1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze medals, adding to a total of 7 medals. A total of 11,656 athletes took part in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
Unlike every year, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics were a massive hit as 4.25 billion people watched the games. Right after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics got over, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics started on August 24, 2021, and ended on September 5, 2021.
China ended finished the Paralympics first with 96 gold, 60 silver, and 51 bronze medals, while Great Britain ended second with 41 gold, 38 silver, and 45 bronze medals. India finished 23rd, the best-ever performance with 5 gold, 8 silver, 6 bronze, with a total of 19. A total of 4403 athletes participated in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Fans were highly excited for the UFC 264 as ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor was all set to face Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier for the third time. The fight took place on July 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
McGregor was all set to get revenge for his loss to Dustin Poirier on January 24, 2021, as Poirier TKO’d McGregor in the second round of the UFC 257 Lightweight Main Event fight. Much to everyone’s misery, Poirier won the McGregor vs Poirier 3 as McGregor broke his ankle in the first round handing Poirier the win to TKO and Doctor Stoppage.
UEFA Champions League 2020-21
The UEFA Champions League 2020-21 final took place between Chelsea and Manchester City on May 29, 2021, at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto, Portugal. Chelsea became the champions after defeating Manchester City 1-0 as the 22-year-old midfielder Kai Havertz scored a goal in the 42nd minute of the match.
This win was quite a remarkable one as it came under the leadership of Thomas Tuchel, who joined Chelsea as manager on January 26, 2021, and he guided his team to a spectacular win within just 5 months of joining. This was Chelsea’s second UEFA Champions League win after their first one in 2012.
Formula 1
After a weird Formula 1 2020 season with no spectators and only 17 out of 22 races run, Formula 1 was back with a bang for 2021. After a year-long journey of racing without any spectators or even VIPs, the drivers were overwhelmed to race with spectators cheering for them.
The 2021 season has been one of the best F1 seasons so far, as the current top two drivers Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are standing with equal points (369.5) which brings it to the final Grand Prix of the season held on December 12, 2021, in Abu Dhabi. This nail-biter finish which will determine the winner of the Drivers Championship has excited the fans on a higher level.
NBA
After a year of the NBA Bubble and games without a live audience, the NBA welcomed the spectators for the 2021-22 season. For the previous season, the NBA had booked a $190 million area known as the NBA Bubble, where all the players stayed without interacting with the outside world during the Covid-19 outbreak in the United States.
Now as the restrictions were put to ease, the fans are excited to watch the games at the arenas of their favorite teams. At present, the Brooklyn Nets are leading the Eastern Conference with 16 wins, and 7 losses, whereas the Golden State Warriors are leading the Western Conference with 19 wins and 4 losses.
Badminton
It has been quite a busy year for badminton players under the organization of the Badminton World Federation, also known as the BWF. The year started with the Yonex Thailand Open 2021 from January 12, 2021, to January 17, 2021, in Bangkok, Thailand.
The year will mark its end with the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2021 from December 12, 2021, to December 19, 2021, in Huelva, Spain. A total of 16 badminton tournaments have been scheduled by the BWF for the 2021 season. The HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2021 got over on December 5, 2021, which started on December 1, 2021, in Bali, Indonesia.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball, also known as the MLB took place in the United States within the Covid-19 guidelines. The 2021 season of the MLB consisted of 162 games. The season started on April 1, 2021, and ended on November 2, 2021.
The Houston Astros defeated the Boston Red Sox to win the MLB American League title, while the Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the MLB National League title. After the league matches the MLB World Series 2021 took place from October 26, 2021, till November 2, 2021. National League winners Atlanta Braves defeated the American League winners Houston Astros to clinch the MLB World Series 2021 title.
These were the top 10 best sporting moments of 2021. Onto the next year!