From Commonwealth Games to Fifa WC, 2022 was a year of reset for sports

2022 was about one sporting great finally realising his dream and another bowing out after having done it all

And then there was 1 — one more 1st for Lionel Messi, after all the Champions League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Copa América and Ballon d’Or titles, and after the dribbles, tackles, free kicks and  set pieces over 1,003 matches, 350 assists and 793 goals — scored every 112 minutes. But, perhaps, the most significant moment for the Argentina captain was his last goal to date – a penalty kick past France captain Hugo Lloris in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It paved the way for a 4-2 win on penalties, after a nail-biting 3-3 stalemate in which Messi scored twice and made one of the key passes for the third. The world wanted it for Messi. Perhaps, the beautiful game owed it to him. And when the fairy tale unfolded, he sealed it with a kiss.

They’ve fought each other on the court for over 15 years, their rivalry unparalleled in tennis, and sport itself. Both have supporters who would want the other to win, if not ‘their man’. But when the moment came for Roger Federer, arguably the greatest, to retire after the Laver Cup in September, both he and Rafael Nadal were'  in tears. The tribute couldn’t have been more poignant. “A part of me leaves with him,” he said in what’s now one of the most iconic moments in tennis history.

Neeraj Chopra has made making history a habit. If the Tokyo Olympics gold in 2021 in javelin was the cake, the 24-year-old added the icing to it with a silver medal in the World Championships at Oregon, US this year. And, the cherry on top? That came with a personal best throw of 89.94 metres at the Diamond League in Stockholm, Sweden in June.

If 2022 will be remembered for Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen winning his second consecutive Formula One world title, it will also be known as the year when former seven-time winner Lewis Hamilton did not win a single race with his McLaren. The duo colliding in Sao Paulo, during the Brazilian Grand Prix (GP) — even if it was a dead rubber — meant sparks did fly. And, then there was the usual F1 drama. Also in Brazil, Verstappen didn’t let teammate Sergio Perez overtake him, against team orders, for crucial extra points that could have given the latter a chance to finish second for a 1-2 finish for the Red Bull drivers for the season.

It was The G. India were playing Pakistan in the World T20, almost 100,000 people were in the stands, and close to a billion were watching it live. Twenty-eight runs in 8 balls was the scenario, and Haris Rauf was bowling hard length short pitch deliveries directed at the body. That’s when Kohli invented the ‘Virat’. How else does one describe a tennis-like smash over the really long long-on boundary? A memory straight out of fantasyland to cherish, even if India were mauled by eventual winners England, by 10 wickets, in the semi-final.

In another first in 2022, the Indian men's team stunned 14-time champions Indonesia to win the Thomas Cup in Thailand, Bangkok. This was India’s first-ever team title in badminton in the 73-year history of the tournament. Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen won their singles matches, while the doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty did its bit for a 3-0 Indian triumph in the final. Coach Vimal Kumar called it the “greatest win ever” for Indian badminton.

The Commonwealth of Medals

With shooting not a part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in July-August in Birmingham, due to ‘lack of facilities’, India’s medals tally was to suffer. But that also meant others got a chance to be in the limelight. 

Like, the women’s lawn bowls team, which won an unprecedented gold. 

Or, like Eldhose Paul, who won the first-ever gold in triple jump. The women’s cricket team came agonisingly close to winning a gold medal, but lost to Australia by nine runs in the T20 tournament. In all, India clinched 61 medals and finished fourth in the medals tally with 22 gold, 16 silver, and 23 bronze. 

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu followed her silver at the Olympics last year with gold at CWG and then  a silver medal at the World Championships in Bogota, Colombia in December. 
 

At 40, Sharath Kamal kept going strong with 4 medals — gold in men’s team, mixed doubles and men’s single events, and silver in men’s doubles. 

PV Sindhu won her first CWG gold in women’s singles.

Bajrang Punia won his ‘dangal’ for another gold.

Nikhat Zareen personified ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ to punch her way to the top of the podium.