![]() ![]() Age, after all, is just a number, as Achanta Sharath Kamal has proved. She may well surprise her opponents at the age of 41. ![]() Serena Williams, who has a record 23 Grand Slams, also said she was quitting the game, but did an about-turn later, saying she had not retired from tennis, hinting that a comeback may be on the cards. Tennis ace Roger Federer, winner of 20 Grand Slams, announced his retirement, saying he had “overachieved in his mind”. Globally, some iconic names bid goodbye to their sport. Watch here: Rewind 2022: Year in Review All Major Events That Happened This Year In December, weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, a silver medallist at the Tokyo Olympics, won a silver at the World Championships with a total lift of 200 kg. Born to farmer parents, Avinash Sable from Mandwa, Maharashtra, who became the first Indian to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in the 3,000 m steeplechase in 68 years, won a silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. ![]() India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist in athletics, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, had an enviable 2022, becoming the only Indian to win the Diamond League and bagging a silver at the World Athletics Championships. These disappointments aside, there were notable performers in individual sport in the year gone by. Our cricket has been most inconsistent,” says Lokapally, who has also authored books on cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It faced an embarrassing 10-wicket loss against England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, had a premature exit in the Asia Cup and lost the one-day international series against Bangladesh in December. India had a torrid 2022 when it came to cricket, considered a religion in the country. And football generates far more revenue.” Every country has a style of its own that doesn’t happen in cricket. The attention is global, the reach is massive-far bigger than cricket-and even the kind of frenzy you see in football does not exist in cricket. Lokapally explains why the football World Cup was a bigger, and more attractive, spectacle: “The Fifa World Cup is an international celebration of a beautiful game. And, therefore, the excitement among sport enthusiasts was palpable. Also read: Beyond the glamour of IPL auctions, a cricketer's struggle to surviveThese two global sporting events took place after the coronavirus pandemic when matches were played sans spectators. And Morocco continued its dream run by winning against Portugal in the quarters to enter the semis. In Qatar, title favourites Argentina had to eat humble pie against Saudi Arabia, ranked 48 places below them in Fifa rankings Brazil lost 1-0 to Cameroon South Korea defeated Portugal, while Germany and Belgium crashed out early in the tournament. The football World Cup, too, saw some fantastic results and magical moments,” says Vijay Lokapally, consulting editor, Sportstar. In the latter, Namibia shocked Sri Lanka, who had won the Asia Cup only months ago Ireland and Scotland both beat the West Indies Ireland even won against eventual champions England South Africa lost to the Netherlands, while Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan by a solitary run in the group encounter. The year 2022 saw many such games, especially during the two marquee events: The Fifa World Cup and the T20 World Cup. Why an Indian owner of an elite football club could be a win-win What is sport without such endearing moments? Or the emergence of new role models, especially those who have overcome socioeconomic barriers? And, of course, the shock that comes with the triumph of the underdogs? What made the moment even more poignant was the fact that Hakimi was born in the Spanish capital Madrid before the family migrated to Morocco, where his mother cleaned houses and father was a street vendor. After scoring the goal that took his team to the quarters for the first time, he rushed to the stands to hug his mother, who kissed him on his cheek. ![]() “And why can’t we pull off a surprise again?” Hours later, the 24-year-old emerged as a hero in Morocco’s stunning victory over Spain-one of the many upsets in the tournament, held in Qatar-with his decisive Panenka penalty and calm demeanour during the shootout. Having topped the group, the Arab nation deserved a “little respect”, he said. He became an overnight hero as the Arab country won against its formidable rivals Image: Ian Macnicol/Getty Images P rior to their pre-quarterfinal match at the 2022 Fifa World Cup, Achraf Hakimi had cautioned Spain that it should be a little afraid of Morocco. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi exults after scoring the winning penalty against Spain at the Fifa World Cup. ![]()
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