January – Dakar Rally held in South America
Political instability forced the 2009 edition of the Dakar Rally shift from the tradition African continent to South America. The rally is the longest, most dangerous and grueling rally that features three main classes i.e. cars, trucks and moto bikes. Although the rally lacked the African unmatchable terrain, the sport made a come back after the 2008 edition had been cancelled for security reasons.
February – West defeats East in the NBA all star game
The Western Conference team managed to defeat their Eastern conference opponents 146-119 in the 58th edition of the all-star games played in Phoenix Arizona, home to the Phoenix Suns. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal representing the west were named as the joint most valuable players (MVP).
March – Brawn GP debuts with a win
In the first race of the 2009 Formula one calendar held at the Australian Grand Prix, The latest addition to the formula one teams lineup, Brawn GP, took the race by storm by winning the 1st and 2nd position respectively. Brawn later in the year won the constructors championship. The team has now re-branded itself as Mercedes Grand Prix after the German carmaker took over.
April- Qatar Moto GP held under floodlights
The Middle East provided the stage for the first race of the 2009 moto gp calendar. Unfavorable weather conditions, in Doha Qatar, forced the race to be rescheduled to take place a week later, after the original date. The race was quite difficult since the riders had to deal with the poor weather condition on a wet surface. To make matters more interesting, the race was under floodlight. Casey stoner was the first to cross the checked flag ahead of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.
May – Barcelona makes a triple haul
What started as a dream turned out to be reality when Barcelona incredibly managed to win the UEFA Champions league, the Spanish Super cup and the Kings Cup all in one season. The Catalan giants later in the year added three more silver wares in their trophy cabinet. The team has without a doubt raised the bar not just to their opponents but for themselves as well. The man who engineered this success is a former Barcelona player Josep Guardiola, who was managing the team for the first time since leaving Barcelona B.
June – Roger Federer attains his career grand slam
It was one most emotional victory that has ever been seen at the Roland Garros, clay tennis court. Roger Federer claimed his attained his first career grand slam by winning the French Open. Having won the Wimbledon open six times, the Australian open thrice and US open five times, it was the French Open grand slam that always eluded him in the final hurdle. This year he over came the last hurdle and in process attained an unprecedented 15 grand slam titles.
July – Contador wears the coveted yellow jersey
Alberto Contador from Spain won the three week long Tour de France for the second time in his career. Many consider the cycling race to be among the toughest one, with each of the 21 stages stretching the cyclist to their maximum limit. The turning point of this year’s tour came in the 15th stage, which Contador won, and consequently wore the leaders yellow jersey. The tour saw the return of seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Amstrong, after a 4-year absence. Amstrong finished the tour at position three.
August – Lighting Bolt strikes twice in Berlin
Usain Bolt underlined the fact that he is the fastest man on earth by breaking his own world records in 100m and 200m at the World Champions held in Berlin Germany. Together with his 4*100 teammates, he added yet another gold medal around his neck. The remarkable feat was a reminisces of how Bolt broke the 100m and 200m at the birds nest during the 2008 Olympic games held in Beijing China.
September – Michael Jordan is inducted in the hall of fame
The class of 2009 to be inducted in the basketball hall of fame had Michael Jordan among the players who were honoured. Jordan, who is considered by many to be the best basketballer ever, emotionally received the award in a room full of basketball legends that he had unforgettable encounters during his playing days. No wander he couldn’t hold back his tears while giving the acceptance speech. So influential was he in the game such that Le Bron James, a basketball prodigy has decided to changes his No 23 Jersey to No 6, as sign of honour.
October – Jenson Button is crowned at Brazilian Grand prix
The Brazilian Grand Prix will always hold a special place for Jenson Button because it was the very place he won the formula one drivers championship title as well as helping his team win the constructors title. Mercedes Grand Prix (formerly Brawn GP) greatly owes Jenson Button for their 2009 success, his incredible accomplishment while steering the wheels was just exceptional.
November – 2010 World cup qualifiers goes down the wire
Conflicting tears of joy and tears of sadness were shed around when the last remaining slots for qualifying to the 2010 world cup in South Africa were finally decided. The most memorable game for the wrong reason was France vs Ireland. The event that’s led to Ireland being eliminated saw an overwhelming uproar of fans worldwide asking for the match to be re-played. FIFA refused to sanction that request arguing out that the referee’s decision was final.
December – World cup draw sends the world in jubilation
When the 2010 world cup draw was done in South Africa, Cape Town led the rest of the world in jubilation through the sounds of vuvuzela trumpets and the traditional songs well orchestrated in the Zulu dance. Just before the draw was conducted the official balls to be used at the 2010 world cup ball were unveiled. The balls, whose manufacturer is adidas, were given a special name called ‘Jabulani’ which means to celebrate.
