2023 might have been an excellent year for some and, maybe not so much for others, but we can all agree that it was an incredible year for sports.
As we bid farewell to this year and prepare for an exciting 2024, I would like to take you back and reflect on my seven greatest sports moments in 2023.
1. The Lionesses bring it home
The Lionesses truly made England proud this year. They have been collecting accolade after accolade, and this year was no different. In 2022, they won the Euros – the first time an English team has ever won.
This year, they went further than ever, reaching the Women’s 2023 World Cup finals; unfortunately, they lost out to Spain but made history by becoming the first England female team to be runners-up.
Their dedication, skill, and talent are taking women’s football to uncharted levels, inspiring millions of young girls to get into sports, and showing them how successful they can be in any sport with commitment and drive.
2. Coco Gauff Wins U.S. Open
Coco Gauff will now be named with some of the world’s greatest female tennis players, including Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. She is on her way to becoming one of the best female tennis players in the world.
She has already beaten the likes of former Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in her Grand Slam singles debut. Gauff won five WTA single tournaments and only turned pro in 2018.
In 2022, she was ranked world No. 4 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association and world No. 1 in doubles.
In 2023, Gauff decided she was going for the jugular and, because she won her first WTA 500 singles title in August, she was the first teenager to do so. Gauff additionally won the U.S. Open final this year, following in the footsteps of her idol and icon, Serena Williams.
3. Errol Spence v Terrence Crawford
There were countless thrilling bouts in 2023; as usual, Las Vegas, Nevada, was home to many. However, one that particularly stood out, was the explosive fight between welterweight champions Errol ‘The Truth’ Spence and Terrance ‘Bud’ Crawford; both boxers were undefeated before entering the ring.
The match was heavily anticipated and debated between the two fighters for years before the fight. In 2018, after meeting at Chesapeake Energy Arena, they expressed their desire to fight each other. In 2019, Crawford defeated Amir Khan by TKO; he called out Spence for a bout. In November 2020, Crawford beat Kell Brook, the first opponent to fight both Crawford and Spence, and Bud called out Spence once again. In April 2022, Spence returned to the ring after a career-threatening surgery after he was involved in a severe car accident where his Ferrari flipped over and he was ejected from the car. Spence defeated Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugàs by TKO and afterwards called out Crawford.
In September 2022, Crawford and Spence were very close to sealing the deal on negotiations to fight for November 19th, but plans fell through at the last minute. Crawford told ESPN, “I agreed to all of their [B.S.], and they’ve been dragging their ass for months. Spence was nowhere to be found while I was trying to make the deal. I explained to Al Haymon and Errol that I was going to fight before the end of the year. … David Avanesyan is a very tough task. He’s knocked out his last six opponents, and this guy is dangerous. Once I’m successful against Avanesyan, my plan is still the same: whup Errol Spence’s ass!”
The back and forth finally ended, and the undisputed champions jumped into the ring together in July. However, to many viewers’ surprise, the fight was much more one-sided than anticipated. Spence was the favourite but, it was Crawford who was the clear winner of the match from start to finish, even knocking down Spence twice – a first for his career and inevitably beating Spence by TKO in the 9th round. He became the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and is the first male to become undisputed in two weight classes.
4. Garnacho’s crazy Manchester United goal
We have seen many iconic goals that will go down in history, from David Beckham’s halfway line goal to Wayne Rooney’s 2011 bicycle kick and this year, another one was added to the list.
Nineteen-year-old Alejandro Garnacho has been a great addition to the Manchester United squad and has been proving himself to be a valued member of their offence since joining the team in 2022 after playing for their under-eighteen squad. He is on the list for United’s top scorers of the season as one of the team’s youngest members.
The Argentinian left winger sent fans into a frenzy when he scored a breathtaking overhead kick goal against Everton in November. The goal will go down in the history books and has even been dubbed by some as the goal of the decade. The goal was voted the Premier League’s Goal of the Month for November.
5. Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup, held every four years, is the pinnacle of international rugby competition, and it returned this year in France. With its rich history, passionate fan base and allure of global competition, this year’s Rugby World Cup was not one to miss.
Unprecedented numbers and millions of dedicated fans tuned in, with sources saying it was just as popular as the 2022 Football World Cup.
Though Ireland and France were dubbed their favourites, it all came down to South Africa and New Zealand in this year’s final. Both teams battled it out into the game’s final half-minute; fans watched on in a crucial nail-biting end. A last-minute minor infringement forced a scrum and scramble for the ball, giving New Zealand’s All-Black a slight chance of victory.
It was all to call for in the last thirty seconds of the match as the scrum began, then collapsed, and just as seven seconds remained, the scrum reset as one member of the South African Springboks snatched the ball. All Blacks fought for their last grasp at victory before all players collapsed into a heap. The whistle blew, and that was it. The Springboks had won, defended their title and become the first team in history to win four rugby world cups, as New Zealand now follows closely behind with four.
6. Sha’Carri becomes athlete of the year
Sha’Carri Richardson, although she did not have the easiest start in life, did not let that stop her and has become a track and field sensation; she is one of the fastest women in the world and Is proving herself as one of the best female athletes in recent history.
From college, Sha’carri has been a beast on the track; at only nineteen, she ran 10.75 seconds to break the 100m collegiate record at the NCAA Division I Championships, making her one of the ten fastest women in history.
A few years later, in 2021, Richardson broke her record of 10.72 seconds, making her the sixth-fastest female in the world and the fourth-fastest American woman in history.
2023 was a fantastic year for her, after some time off due to a ban for cannabis use, Richardson won the U.S. national championship in the women’s 100 meters at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In August 2023, Sha’Carri became the world champion in Budapest, winning gold in the 100m sprint with a new championship record and personal best of 10.65 seconds.
She has mostly recently been honoured with the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Athlete of the Year award at the USA Track and Field (USATF) Night of Legends award ceremony.
7. Manchester City wins the treble
Manchester City are considered one of the most successful English football teams, and there is little argument about why. It has consistently performed well in domestic and international competitions, having already won the premier league and F.A.Cup seven times and the EFL Cup eight times.
This year, City achieved an incredible accolade by winning the treble, which is a remarkable accomplishment. A treble is won when a team or club wins three trophies in a single season, in this case, winning the Premier League, F.A Cup and EFL Cup.
Winning a treble requires consistent excellence across multiple competitions throughout an entire season; it showcases the team’s depth, skill, endurance, and ability to perform simultaneously at the highest level in different tournaments. It is extremely rare to achieve such a massive attainment.
Manchester City are the second English football team to do so, demonstrating their exceptional quality and dominance in English football.
Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year
We would like to wish all our readers, supporters and customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Please return next year for more predictions, insights and guides.
Love from, the entire TX Team. x
