12 months of epic sports action! 5 of 2022’s biggest sports events

There’s no two ways about it, 2022 has been an action-packed year for sport! In addition to what has arguably been the most controversial World Cup in history, we’ve also been treated to a smorgasbord of epic sporting events over the past 12 months.

So, as yet another year draws to a close, we thought there’s no better time than the present to look back at 5 of the most epic sports events that 2022 has served up for us.

2022 Winter Olympics

We kick things off this week by casting our minds to the start of the year and the Beijing Winter Olympics, which saw the Chinese capital become the first city to have hosted the Summer and Winter Olympic games.

Of course, it goes without saying that this was a Winter Olympics like no other. Beijing’s hosting of the Winter Olympics had courted controversy in some quarters leading up to the games, leading to some calls to boycott them all together. The spectre of COVID-19 also still loomed large, much like at the Tokyo Summer Olympics 6 months previously, as the implementation of restrictions/health and safety protocols meant the games were not only closed to the public, but also forced many countries to mix up their rosters somewhat.

When it comes to the medals, Norway emerged victorious with 37 medals overall, including no fewer than 16 golds. They were followed by the Russian Olympic Committee (32 medals, 6 golds), Germany (27 medals, 12 golds), Canada (26 medals, 4 golds) and the USA (25 golds, 8 golds).

Formula 1

Complete and utter domination. That’s the only way you can describe Max Verstappen’s successful quest to retain the Driver’s Title this year. Whilst Charles LeClerc appeared to have what it takes to give The Flying Dutchman a run for his money at times, Verstappen sealed the title at a canter with 4 races to go, picking up the most points and wins in a single season of any driver in Formula 1 history.

Meanwhile, it was quite the opposite for his 2021 title rival Lewis Hamilton. The Brit had his first ever winless season in F1 and the Constructors’ Title was also wrestled from the iron grip of his team, Mercedes, as they placed 3rd behind Red Bull and Ferrari.

Will Hamilton and LeClerc strike back next year? Or will Verstappen make it 3 titles in a row? Only time will tell!

Tennis

We turn our attention to the world of tennis which has also been a hotbed of activity over the past 12 months. Perhaps the most spectacular success story in the mens’ game this year has been Carlos Alcaraz. The Spanish teenage sensation heroically fought off the competition to triumph at the US Open, becoming world #1 in the process.

This year also proved to be Roger Federer’s last in professional tennis. The Swiss legend hung up his racket in September and finished his career with a doubles defeat playing alongside former rival Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup, a competition which he played an instrumental role in creating.

As for the women’s game, it’s all been about Iga Swiatek this year. With previous world #1 Ashleigh Barty retiring in April, Swiatek has stepped in to fill the void, picking up two grand slam wins and prompting talk that she will be the dominant force in women’s tennis for years to come.

Are we witnessing the birth of a new dynasty here? Or will another challenger emerge in 2023?

NBA Finals

Perhaps the most epic event from the world of b-ball in 2022 was, you guessed it, the NBA Finals, which saw Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors duke it out for what is arguably basketball’s greatest prize.

The Celtics headed into this series of games looking to become the most decorated team in NBA history by securing their 18th title. However, although things started promisingly for them as they took the lead in the series twice in the first 3 games, fate ultimately had other ideas as Golden State won all 3 of the next games to take the series 4-2 and pick up their first title since 2018.

The sting of defeat appears to have made The Celtics even more hungry for success as they’ve hit the ground running in the Western Conference this season, while the same cannot be said for Golden State who can’t seem to rediscover their mojo at the moment.

Stanley Cup finals

Finally, we round things off by taking a look back at this year’s Stanley Cup which pitted the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Colorado Avalanche. The boys from Tampa came into this series of crunch clashes looking to secure their third Stanley Cup on the trot and will arguably have fancied their chances of doing so, given that their opponents last appearance in a Stanley Cup was way back in 2001 against the New Jersey Devils.

However, things didn’t go to plan for Jon Cooper’s men as their opponents took the lead in game 1 and didn’t relinquish it from that point, even running riot in game 2 with a thumping 7-0 win that put them 2-0 up in the series at that point. Although Tampa did fight back a little, securing 2 wins in the next 3 games, Colorado secured victory in 6 games to end their rivals dreams of a hat-trick of Stanley Cups.

Will either team get to the finals this year? Only time will tell!