International sports review of 2020 (1) infographic
Graphic shows a selection of international sporting events and sports people in the public eye in 2020
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YEAR END

Sporting highlights of a disrupted year

By Chris Dinsdale

December 31, 2020 - A look back at some of the international sports events and personalities that made headlines in 2020 -- a year disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Key events included Liverpool winning the English Premier League, Tadej Pogacar becoming the youngest Tour de France winner since 1909, and Lewis Hamilton’s continued dominance of Formula One. Other individuals hitting the heights included tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka, golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson, basketball player LeBron James and athlete Joshua Cheptegei. 2020 also marked the death of Argentina soccer great Diego Maradona at the early age of 60.

International Highlights:

Soccer
Jun 25: Liverpool end 30-year-wait to reclaim English Premier League trophy.

Aug 2: Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and PSG win Europe’s top league titles.

Aug 23: Bayern conquer Europe, overcoming PSG to claim sixth Champions League crown.

Nov 26: Argentine soccer icon Diego Maradona -- who lifted 1986 World Cup -- dies aged 60.

Tennis
Feb 2: Novak Djokovic wins record eighth Australian Open title.

Sep 12: Naomi Osaka triumphs at U.S. Open -- new face mask for each match highlights victims of racism and police brutality.

Oct 10: Iga Swiatek, 19, ranked 54th, becomes lowest-ranked woman to take title at Roland Garros.

Oct 11: Rafael Nadal equals Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles with 13th victory in Paris.

Cricket
Mar 8: Australia cruise to victory against India in Women’s T20 World Cup Final.

Nov 10: Mumbai Indians beat Delhi in IPL final.

Golf
Sep 20: Big-hitting American Bryson DeChambeau charges to first major title with six-shot victory at U.S. Open.

Nov 15: World No.1 Dustin Johnson claims Green Jacket at autumnal U.S. Masters with record score of 20 under par.

Motorsport
Jan 17: Carlos Sainz wins third Dakar Rally, aged 58.

Aug 23: Japanese driver Takuma Sato conquers gruelling Indy500.

Oct 25: British driver Lewis Hamilton wins 92nd F1 race -- passing record of Michael Schumacher -- and goes on to win 7th Championship.

Nov 15: Joan Mir secures maiden MotoGP title, racing for Suzuki.

American sport
Feb 2: Kansas City Chiefs end 50-year wait to win Super Bowl.

Oct 11: Los Angeles Lakers beat Miami Heat to equal Boston Celtics for most NBA titles – 17.

Oct 28: LA Dodgers win first baseball World Series since 1988.

Best of the rest
Feb 22: Tyson Fury pummels Deontay Wilder in rematch to win WBC heavyweight boxing title.

Aug 14: Ugandan athlete Joshua Cheptegei sets new 5000m world record -- later smashes 10,000m mark.

Sep 20: Tadej Pogacar is youngest winner of Tour de France since 1909

Sources
PUBLISHED: 17/12/2020; STORY: Graphic News; ARTWORK: Jim Batsis
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