Around the world: The winning spirit

                             

Another year breezes past, a trove of sporting memories strewn in its wake. Here’s an attempt at recapturing the spirit of the most memorable of events in 2015. Sit back, relax, recall and relish.

Rugby World Cup

As heart-warming a ‘tread’ to victory might be, a ‘strut’ to it exudes its own charm. While the appeal of the former lies in the composure exercised, the latter derives its allure from the self-proclaimed supremacy and the assertiveness expressed to realise it — best exemplified by its famous practitioner, sprinter Usain Bolt. Of all the forms that the proclamation could assume, the most physical and animated is the ‘haka’, a quirky pre-match challenge posed by the All Blacks rugby team. This time, their challenge unbroken, the mighty Kiwis of sinew sped to their second successive World Cup title, untamed.

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

From the amplified buzz surrounding the build-up to the murmurs of dissatisfaction after it, it was hard to keep the hype out of the richest bout in boxing history. After all, that is what the sport thrives on. Be it the supercilious banters, pretentious stare-offs and the handshake snub at the pre-match weigh in, everything added to the anticipation. In an anti-climax, the contest at the MGM Grand Arena saw Floyd Mayweather Jr. rely largely on defensive tactics to prevail over Manny Pacquiao.

Tour de France

Around 3360 km, 198 riders, 21 stages, and one winner — Chris Froome of Team Sky. That’s the 2015 edition in a nutshell. For all the talk about the tight race between the ‘big four’, the competition turned out to be one-dimensional as Froome, making light of the challenge from his rivals, maintained a steady lead from an early stage, all the way to Paris, to claim his second Tour title. What’s more, he became the first British rider to have won the event twice.

Spieth’s ascent

“Well begun is half done,” said Aristotle. In sports though, the sustenance of form and the subsequent finish is as tricky to handle as the starting trouble. Acing the trick was Jordan Spieth, the American golfer. Becoming the second youngest to win the U.S. Masters title and raising the bar with the U.S. Open crown, the 22-year old had a season to be cherished.

Day in the limelight

As if defeating his nearest challenger, World No. 1 Jordan Spieth, by three strokes was not an achievement in itself, Jason Day of Australia also registered a record score of 20 under par to clinch the U.S. PGA championship in August.

Kiltschko loses ground

When Wladimir Kiltschko, who mounted 19 successful defences, squares off against the undefeated Tyson Fury, what transpires could be nothing short of riveting. And riveting it was as Tyson Fury punched his way to a remarkable win, claiming the WBO, IBF and WBA titles that were at stake. There’s a rumour doing the rounds that a rematch has been scheduled for Wembley Stadium in 2016.