Top 10 Sporting Injustices

The LA Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is recognised as one of the most exciting, passionate and eccentric head coaches in NFL history. In his first spell in the league he turned the lowly Raiders into contenders before beating them in a super bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a long spell working in the commentary booth Jon is back coaching, and with the Raiders (now based in LA). This weekend he will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time since returning to the sidelines - but Jon’s motivation is more than simply getting one over his former team…

10. The Tuck Rule Game

Back in 2001, John Gruden’s Raiders had just stolen the ball back from Tom Brady’s Patriots in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter of the Divisional Playoffs. They had the lead and this looked to have ended the upstart team with the lowly draft pick from completing their fairy-tale. Instead, the officials spent an extended period staring at replays before deciding that despite Brady making no attempt to pass the ball, his decision to pull the ball back to his chest after a pump meant that he could keep the ball. The decision baffled fans and commentators alike, as most discovered “the tuck rule” for the first time. Instead - The Patriots kicked a game tying field goal, and a second in overtime to win the game on their way to their sixth super bowl title. This weekend, Gruden will look to tackle Brady again, this time with the Buccaneers and get revenge for one of the most infamous plays in NFL history.

9. Chesterfield are robbed in the FA Cup

The FA Cup loves to champion the underdog, the lower division sides that cause an upset against a top flight side. Back in 1997 the minnows causing an upset were Chesterfield, they’d already knocked out Premier League sides Bolton and Nottingham Forest when they faced Middlesbrough in the semi finals. Boro were packed full of talent from the likes of Juninho, Emerson and Ravanelli and despite struggling in the Premier League they were heavy favourites against the Spireites who, at the time, were in the third tier of English football.

Middlesbrough found themselves down to ten men late in the first half when Vladimir Kinder earned a second booking. At half time, pundits wondered if another upset on the cards, the star of their cup run had been future England striker Kevin Davies but it was his strike partner Andy Morris who started the show in the semis. The ball broke to him in the box and after adjusting his feet, the man who cost £500 and a bag of footballs, slipped the ball into the net. Six minutes later Morris was put through again, this time Middlesbrough keeper Ben Roberts charged out of goal and brought him down. The penalty was converted by current Burnley manager Sean Dyche. At the other end Champions League winner Fabrizio Ravanelli responded four minutes later and with the game perfectly poised at 2-1 Chesterfield struck again. Jon Howard smashed an effort against the crossbar from inside the Boro box, it bounced across the line throwing his eyes up and celebrated - unfortunately for him referee David Ellery hadn’t seen it. Middlesbrough equalised and after a goal a piece in extra time the game went to a replay. Middlesbrough cruised through and neutrals wondered what would have happened if the goal had been seen… how long would the fairy-tale have lasted?

8. Boris (Dis)Onishchenko

This would have been higher on the list, but Boris was caught.. That being said, Boris’s attempts to snatch a gold medal in the 1976 Olympic Modern Pentathlon were truly unjust. The event combines swimming, running, shooting, horse riding and fencing in an attempt to replicate the challenges faced by a “modern” soldier so it’s apt that the moment in question took place in a contest between two fellow soldiers. Onishcenko or the USSR’s red army faced off against Sgt. Fox of the British army… when Fox noticed something bizarre happening on the fencing piste. Onishcenko was receiving points despite not contacting Fox. After this continued in other bouts an investigation was launched. After officials discovered Onischenko had tampered with the electronic scoring system through a series of concealed wires in his blade he was given a dishonourable discharge from the Olympic games.

7. Michael Conlon’s Olympic Robbery

In the build up to Michael Conlon’s quarterfinal bout against Russian Vladimir Nikitin, the Irishman’s dad had given him a simple reminder: “you know you can stop this guy?”. Michael’s dad had noticed a number of unusual decisions favouring Russian boxers at the games and hoped his son would take the fight out of the judges hands. Instead Michael dominated every round, Nikitin barely got a jab through Conlon’s guard so when the official judgement was made Conlon in favour of the Russian fighter Conlon was understandably furious. Ripping off his jersey and swearing at the judges. The decision was so controversial that it led to the AIBA (who organise all major amateur boxing) being suspended by the IOC following allegations of result tampering. The alleged corruption was deemed so toxic by Olympic officials that no judge who ruled at the Rio Olympics is currently eligible for the Tokyo games. For Conlon there was some redemption when he matched up with his nemesis in the pro ranks, once again the decision went to the judges, and this time the decision was the right one.

6. Schumacher turns in on Hill

1994 was a year of tragedy in Formula One. The sports brightest light Ayrton Senna had been wiped out in a weekend of trauma for the sport that also saw the passing of Roland Ratzenberger. By the time the season had rumbled onto a conclusion Senna’s teammate Damon Hill and rising star Michael Schumacher found themselves in a dogfight for the title. Hill was the son of a champion who’d reached the sport’s pinnacle towards the end of his career, Michael Schumacher’s rise to the top was Senna-esque - he’d outdriven the car in a smaller team and been competitive from the outset in his first decent car. Schumacher looked certain to be the figurehead to lead the sport through a dark year. He was leading the race when he skidded off the road and into the barriers. His wounded car re-entered the road in front of Hill, who dived up the inside of the German. Schumacher shut the door across him, taking both men out of the race and assuring the German’s first title. The moment is seen as one of the most contentious in F1 history.

5. Schumacher’s ridiculous tackle on Battiston

From one Schumacher to another, this time Harold Schumacher, the German goalkeeper spotted the marauding Patrick Battiston bursting on to a through ball with the scores level in the World Cup Semi Final back in 1982. He made a decision to charge out of goal, inexplicably jumping hip first into the face of the Frenchman. Battiston collapsed to the deck unconscious, he lost two teeth, and later fell into a coma. While emergency treatment was underway, Schumacher stood, hands on hips, waiting to take the resulting goal kick. Because extraordinarily the referee hadn’t ruled the incident to be a foul. Schumacher would later court further controversy when after hearing of Battiston’s dental injuries he stated “If that’s all that’s wrong with him, I’ll pay for his crowns”. Germany would eventually win the game before losing to Italy in the final. For France, they could only wonder what would have happened had the referee taken the appropriate action following the incident.

4. Henry handles the Republic of Ireland

Back in 2009, the Republic of Ireland were seeking an upset in the World Cup qualification playoffs against a France team that won the World Cup 13 years earlier and had lost on penalties to Italy back in 2006. Aiming for their fourth ever appearance at the finals Ireland had got off to a shaky start losing the home leg 1-0. But in the away leg, they had taken the game to extra time through Robbie Keane’s goal. Then deep into extra time Thierry Henry reached out a hand, controlled the ball twice with his hand and slipped it back to Arsenal teammate William Gallas and condemned Ireland to defeat. The goal sent France to the World Cup and led to protests of over 100,000 people in Dublin as a campaign for a re-match or a 33rd World Cup place were met with rejection from Sepp Blatter. There was some karmic payback at the World Cup finals however when France imploded amidst infighting and finished bottom of their group picking up a solitary point.

3. Roy Jones Jnr’s Olympic agony

At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul Roy Jones jnr was the favourite in the light middleweight category. Going up against local man Park Si-Hun few gave the South Korean a chance. Park had won a controversial close call against Italian Vincenzo Nardielli in the semi finals and was underpowered and battle-weary by the time the final approached. In the final Jones dominated - Park barely touched Jones - it was effortless. As the final bell won - Jones threw his hands up in celebration. It went to the judges instead of a unanimous call for Jones the five judges ruled 3-2 in favour of a bemused Park who looked shocked and embarrassed. The referee shuffled the judges cards in disbelief while a disconsolate Roy Jones Jnr sat in his corner with a towel over his head. One of the judges would go on to say that he’d voted for the Korean fighter expecting Jones to win easily - so Park wouldn’t be embarrassed, the rest of the judges didn’t reveal their reasoning. It led to a total overhaul of the judging (with results revealed round by round instead of at the end), but as Michael Conlan knows, that doesn’t guarantee injustice has been eliminated. For Roy Jones jnr, now a multiweight world champion the decision is still painful. 32 years later, he still hopes the decision will eventually be overturned…

2. Priest ruins de Lima’s Race

Leading the marathon in the 2004 Athens Olympics Vanderlai Corderai de Lima, is striding through the Greek streets when a defrocked Irish priest, dressed in a kilt short enough to be a miniskirt wrestled him into the crowd. de Lima was eventually freed from the priest’s grasp and back on to the road but his lead dwindled, his rhythm was broken and he eventually trailed into the stadium third.

De Lima’s initial disappointment had turned into joy by the time he arrived into the Olympic stadium to finish third and his positive attitude earned him the Pierre De Coubertain medal alongside his bronze. The infamous Priest Neil Horan who had also disrupted the British Grand Prix and the Derby has been embroiled in endless controversies away from the sporting world which we won’t go into here. But his decision to steel gold from De Lima permanently altered sporting history. Thankfully Brazil gave de Lima the honour of lighting the Olympic torch when Brazil hosted in 2016, a moment of personal he was denied 12 years earlier.

1. The Hand of God

All eyes were on the World Cup Quarter Final in 1986 between England and Argentina. England’s Gary Lineker was the tournament’s top goal scorer, Diego Maradona was the world’s best player and to add further intrigue, this was the first meeting between the two sides since the 1982 Falklands War. In the first half Diego Maradona outjumped Peter Shilton and punched the ball over his head for the opening goal. In the days prior to VAR, England were forced to accept the decision. Minutes later Maradona showed off his talent, by dribbling from the halfway line past the majority of the England team before slotting home to give Argentina a 2-0 lead. Lineker’s late goal was enough to secure the golden boot but not enough to overturn the controversial advantage. Maradona would infamously refer to the goal as the hand of god. He explained later: “"We, as Argentinians, didn't know what the military was up to. They told us that we were winning the war. But in reality, England was winning 20–0. It was tough. The hype made it seem liked we were going to play out another war. I knew it was my hand. It wasn't my plan but the action happened so fast that the linesman didn't see me putting my hand in. The referee looked at me and he said: 'Goal.' It was a nice feeling like some sort of symbolic revenge against the English."

GTSC Quiz IV

Top 10 Athletes Who Celebrated Too Soon

You’ve done all the hard work, you soak in a bit of the crowd’s adulation, showboat a little, then out of the corner of your eye you spot them: the opponent you thought you’d left in the dust! Instead of a Usain Bolt like show of strength and dominance you’ve created a viral moment that will light up social media for decades. But fear not elite athletes you’re in good company. Join the schadenfreude as Mark Payne ranks the top 10 most cringeworthy early celebrations in sport.

10 Julian Alaphilippe throws Liege-Bastogne-Liege

Julian Alaphilippe was just seven days removed from the greatest moment in his professional career when he lined up on the start line for Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2020, one of cycling’s prestigious monuments. His gurning, aggressive attack in Imola had forced him clear of an elite bunch and on the way to a dominant solo win at the World Championships. Now wearing the legendary rainbow stripes, the famously flamboyant Frenchman was set to write another chapter in cycling lore, this time for all the wrong reasons. Having made the final selection Alaphilippe found himself in elite company once more the top two from the Tour de France Pogacar and Roglic as well as the man who’d won Fleche Wallone earlier in the week and a stage at the Tour de France Marc Hirschi. Alaphilippe identified Hirschi as the biggest threat to him on the flat finish and ensured he used the tiring legs of Matej Mohoric - who’d been in the earlier breakaway to lead him out. Exploding clear of the field he looked over his left shoulder and swerved from right to left to slow Hirschi’s progress and threw his arms up in celebration as he approached the line. The only problem was Alaphilippe hadn’t looked over his right shoulder where a slower acceleration from the Slovenian Primoz Roglic had finally reached terminal velocity, sliding under Alaphilippe’s arms and stealing the victory. Alaphilippe’s deviation from his line caused him to be relegated to 5th. It was agonising for him but redemption for Primoz Roglic who’d lost the Tour de France at the last a few weeks ago. Julian Alaphilippe apologised for his mistake and claimed he’d learned a painful lesson - only for him to repeat the feat a few days later at Brabantse Pijl - this time he was lucky to beat Mathieu Van Der Pool by a tyre’s width…

9 Joe Harding gets KO’d

“Listen to my instructions and protect yourself at all times” these are instructions are embedded on the brains of fighters and fight fans alike. They are the final words of guidance a referee gives before any MMA or boxing match. Their purpose is obvious, you’re both trying to do each other damage, don’t make it too easy for the other guy to do that. Unfortunately for young MMA fighter Joe Harding that all went out of his mind at BCMMA 18 after he’d dominated the early exchanges with his opponent Johan Segas. Inexplicably, he stopped punching, dropped his hands and preceded to attempt an “arm wave” only too end up with a chin full of his opponent’s leg. Joe was out before he hit the mat, the contest was over. The PE teacher did his homework for his next bout - winning in under 20 seconds - I doubt he’ll make that mistake again.

8. Leon Lett’s Super Bowl blunder

Leon Lett is a two time pro-bowler and three time Super Bowl Champion with the all conquering Dallas Cowboys - but is arguably best remembered for two cataclysmic errors of judgement in his playing career failing to secure a ball in snowy conditions against the Miami Dolphins and ultimately giving up a chance to win the game.. and years later, fumbling a potential touchdown out the back of the endzone during the Cowboys blow out win against the Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII. He’s not the only NFL player to do this - in fact another Dallas Cowboy is also on this list - but he is the only man to do so in a Super Bowl - which earns luckless Leon a spot on our infamy countdown.

7. Nick Young celebrates a 3 point miss

The only reason this isn’t significantly higher is because the Lakers won, and in the grand scheme of a basketball game, celebrating one basket that doesn’t sink in a game that might include 100 successful shots is fairly insignificant. What wasn’t insignificant was the reaction to Nick’s miss. You see, he didn’t wait to see if he’d drained it, he simply turned back down the court and raised his arms smugly satisfied with his efforts. In the background of the shot however, the ball pinged off the rim and a free-for-all was taking place over the rebound.

6. Bjorn Wirdheim throws away Monaco win

Back in 2003, the route to F1 typically traced a path through Formula 3000. The second tier class had been a key step in the careers of F1 winners Nick Heidfeld, Jean Alesi, Juan Pablo Montoya and more so for championship leader Sweden’s Bjorn Wirdheim knew that the eyes of the F1 paddock were on him. Driving for a young Christian Horner’s Arden team Bjorn had dominated the race, and was eight seconds clear as he approached the chequered flag. Bjorn slowed under the Arden berth on the pitwall only for second place Nickolas Kiesa to whip by and steal the most prestigious win on the season’s calendar (and yes that is Christian Horner sliding down the pitwall as the moment sinks in). Bjorn won the title, but didn’t earn a seat in F1 and, sadly for Bjorn his dominant title season is best remembered for this cringe inducing error of judgement.

5. Meghan Rutledge blows her X-Games shot

Meghan Rutledge was a few bike lengths clear of the field in the 2003 X-Games Women’s Moto X event as she approached the final jump. Feeling that she had it all sewn up she pumped her fist into the air in celebration, tipped the bike forward and crashed to the deck. Scrambling to pick her bike up, Meghan was overtaken by eventual champion - the appropriately named Vicki Golden.

4. DeSean Jackson does it twice!

DeSean Jackson built a reputation as one of the NFL’s elite downfield threats. A reputation he honed in college playing for the Cal Golden Bears. He also built a reputation of inexplicably giving up touchdowns through celebration. Firstly he attempted to frontflip in the endzone but neglected to bring the ball with him before turning pro and dropping the ball short of the endzone while playing for the Dallas Cowboys against their fierce rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. Oops!

3. Pep and the City fan experience Champions League heartbreak

Manchester City are on the verge of a Champions League semi-final when Raheem Sterling lashes in an injury time goal against Spurs. The game is now 5-3 with seconds to spare - and having lost the first leg 1-0 City have overcome the away goal and are set for a matchup with Ajax. Pep Guardiola is going mad on the sideline, outside the stadium a fan is heading to an interview that will live in infamy for years, and the VAR team are checking the goal. Sterling is ruled offside, just. Pep falls to his knees heartbroken and a celebrating City fan has the news broken to him that his side are out of the Champions League….

Oh wow pic.twitter.com/HTs8tiWvL4

— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) April 18, 2019

2. Andrea Pirtea celebrates too soon at the 2007 Chicago Marathon

A marathon is exactly 26.2 miles. Back in 2007’s Chicago Marathon the first 26 miles for first time marathon runner Andrea Pirtea were fantastic- the final .2 would prove to be the bit that haunted her. As she approaches the finishing straight the commentators marvel at her confidence and her unwillingness to look back as she slaps hands with fans in the crowd. If she had she’d have seen the fast finishing Berhane Adere picking up the pace and closing the gap. Just as Pirtea took her foot of the proverbial gas Adere accelerated and left Pirtea no time to react. With less than 50m to go the win was assured, and the pain would have extended beyond the physical realm for Pirtea.

1. Jacobellis blows her shot at Olympic gold

Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis’s Turin Olympics is the sporting definition of hubris. Olympic finals happen once every four years, so to find yourself in a seemingly unlosable position and, through a brief moment of cockiness, to throw it all away must have been devastating. Lindsey had seen off the threat of the rapid Canadians Maëlle Ricker and Dominique Maltais who’d both fallen earlier in the event and was out of sight of the other finalist, Tanja Frieden, when she inexplicably tried to grab her board and crashed. Frieden recovered quickest, the only finalist not to crash leaving a sheepish Jacobellis to pick up the silver medal, and a place at the top of our list.

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Top 10 Most Dramatic Moments in Sporting History

Following the dramatic final stage of the 2020 Tour de France Mark Payne lists the top 10 Most Dramatic Moments in Sporting History.

10. Wales overturn Scotland at the death, 6Nations 2010

Scotland were on track to beat Wales in Cardiff for the first time in eight years until late drama saw them on the losing end of a 31-24 result. Wales were ten points behind when they began battering the Scottish line in the 76th minute. Eventually the Scottish resilience broke when Leigh Halfpenny slipped through under the posts. Scotland’s ill discipline had already seen Scott Lawson sin binned and were set to play out the dramatic final few minutes with 14 men. With one minute to go Scotland’s situation would become more dire. Wales burst through the lines and chipped the ball towards the posts when Phil Godman (who’d been on the field for barely a minute) was sent to the bin for tripping. 40 seconds remained. Stephen Jones chose to kick at the posts to level the scores… and was successful. By the time the clock was at 80, the game resumed there was only one play to go - somehow the ball didn’t go out of bounds. So many times on the final drive Wales got close to the line, and close to going out of bounds until Shane Williams slid in under the posts to seal the victory. 

9. Diego Corrales vs. José Luis Castillo, 7th May 2005.

I was so close to putting Fury and Wilder on the list here but it lacked the sheer drama of this matchup between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. Fighting for the WBO and WBC lightweight titles the fight was absolutely brutal. Both men had thrown caution to the wind from the outset laying heavy punches on each other repeatedly. By the time we’d reached the 10th round Castillo was starting to get the upper hand. Corrales’s left eye had begun to swell shut and his pace was slowing. Castillo pressed his advantage and sent Corrales to the mat for the first time Castillo spat his mouthguard to the canvas rising at the count of 8. Warned by the referee his mouthguard was returned to his mouth and the fight resumed. But Castillo was quickly downed again, his mouthguard spat out again. He rose at the count of nine, but this time referee Tony Weeks enforced a point deduction. Castillo’s challenge looked to be ending in disgrace. After the second knockdown Castillo went on the attack and caught Corrales with a perfect right hand knocking the American to deck in a clean knockout. A stunning comeback when defeat seemed inevitable. 

8. The Minneapolis Miracle

The New Orleans Saints come into their 2018 Divisional Round playoffs as favourites against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings had lost their starting quarterback to a horrific injury in  pre-season and although they’d been one of the strongest teams during the regular season most expected them to fall to the experienced Saints led by former league MVP and Super Bowl winner Drew Brees. The Vikings raced to an early 17 point lead but were pegged back by the Saints who took the lead with 25 seconds remaining following a Will Lutz field goal. With 10 seconds left in the game the Vikings needed to throw the ball around thirty yards downfield and get out of bounds to attempt a game winning field goal. The chances were slim - but Keenan’s long throw downfield to Diggs was caught in bounds… a simple tackle missed allowing Diggs to trot into the endzone for an unbelievable end...

7. The Kick 6 

In college football there are few rivalries that can compete with the Iron Bowl. Alabama and Auburn are nearly always ranked and often have a shot at the National Championship when they meet. That was certainly the case back in 2013 when #4 Auburn hosted #1 Alabama, the two time defending national champions. Alabama were 10 point favourites but the game was tied up when Auburn scored a late touchdown with Sammy Coates. Just 32 seconds remained. Alabama drove the ball down the field and attempted a 57 yard field goal as time expired. Alabama knew if they missed the game would go to overtime, the play was very low risk. Kicker Cade Foster’s kick was on target… but fell just short. Chris Davis caught the kick at the back of the endzone before running the whole 109 length of the field with the ball in hand to win the game and end a 14 game winning run for Alabama. 

6. Ryder Cup 2012, The miracle of Medinah.

The 2012 Ryder Cup was supposed to be one where the European team won the cup for Seve Ballesteros who’d died the previous May. But heading into the final day the USA were well on top. Leading 10-6 and requiring just 4.5 points to win it seemed certain that the Ryder Cup would be returning to America. However, in the early going it was clear the European’s were fighting back. Europe one the first four matches of the day with Donald, Lawrie, Mcllroy and Poulter levelling the scores at 10-10. Then the matches ping-ponged between the two teams. Dustin Johnson put the US back in front, Justin Rose levelled for Europe, then Zach Johnson got the upper hand on Graeme McDowell to put the US 11-12 up. Lee Westwood levelled for Europe. Three matches were in play. The US led two and tied the other. This would be enough for them to win the trophy. At the 16th, the US’s Jim Furyk threw his hands in the air in celebration of a guaranteed half point as his ball rolled towards the hole for a two point lead… but then the ball stopped short. Sergio Garcia drew the hole. Garcia won the next hole to bring the scores level. The best was still to come as Garcia won the final hole and secured Europe’s 13th point. One more point and the Ryder Cup would be coming home with the Europeans. On the eighteenth Europe’s Martin Kaymer slapped a six footer to snatch victory from Steve Stricker.  A dejected Tiger Woods conceded the hole to Francesco Molinari as the pair split the spoils in the final match up 14.5-13.5. 

5. Fignon and LeMond

The closest tour of all time. Separated by eight seconds and a monumental shift in cycling technique, the battle between Fignon and LeMond is legendary. By the time they arrived in Paris for the final time trial, Laurent Fignon was wearing yellow having been the best rider through 20 days of the tour with a 50 second lead over LeMond. On the tour’s only other time trial, stage 5’s scoot from Dinard to Rennes, LeMond had been 56 seconds faster but that time trial was over 73kms. LeMond would need to pull a similar gap over just 24.5kms. The task seemed impossible. In the start gate the difference between the riders was stark. LeMond, the penultimate rider to leave rode with an aerodynamic helmet and triathlon bars in a skin tight jersey. Fignon wore loose fitting clothing, on an ordinary road bike with his blonde ponytail trailing behind him. LeMond set the fastest time 26mins 57s. When Laurent Fignon crossed the line his time was 27mins 55s - 58 seconds slower, giving LeMond the tour by the smallest margin. It’s been suggested that if Fignon had trimmed his flowing hair he would have saved the eight seconds he lost to Greg LeMond. 

4. 2005 Ashes, 2nd Test, Edgbaston

The 2005 Ashes was a landmark series for England. Winning their first series against Australia for 19 years marked a sea-change in the power balance of world cricket. Coming into the series Australia were the dominant test cricket side, England were ranked first 5th of the ten test playing nations. Australia were predicting a 5-0 victory - and had comfortably won the first test match at Lords. The second test therefore was crucial to England’s hopes. Win and the series was level, lose and they’d be two games back with three to play. By the time they’d reached day 4 of the test England were on the brink of victory. England needed two more wickets, Australia would require 107 runs with their tail enders. Incredibly Brett Lee and Shane Warne, used to leading the Aussie bowling attack were slapping the ball about for fun with the willow. Shane Warne reached 90 before stepping on his stumps. Number 11 Kasprowicz came into the line up. England needed one more wicket- they had 62 runs to eliminate either of the two men at the crease. This should have been easy.. But the pair surpassed their test averages. Kasprowicz was dropped by Simon Jones with 15 still to score. Australia looked to have it won as they tickled singles around the field and lowered their target. They needed three to win when Steve Harmison ripped a bouncer into Kasprowicz which was awkwardly fended away...into the diving arms of Geraint Jones. England would win the game and ultimately the series...

3. Toyota suffer Le Mans heartbreak

Winning the Le Mans 24 hours is never easy. For 24 hours drivers and mechanics of leading cars stare nervously at their monitors hoping that they aren’t removed from the competition by an accident or a mechanical problem. Every top team knows the agony of missing out when the stars seemed to be aligned in your favour - just ask Peugeot who lost four cars from podium positions in 2010. But no team has been more cursed at Le Mans than Toyota. In 1994 they appeared to have the race sewn up until a problem in the final hour slowed their pace and left them second. In 1998, they were closing in on the leading Porsche until a transmission failure put them out of the race. In 2014, Toyota had qualified on pole and led for most of the race before one of their cars lost time in the pits and the other was hit by a GT car and flipped out of the race. In 2016, everything was sorted - they’d got through the dangerous night, they’d avoided all the accidents. They’d started the final lap - when as the clock expired their lead horse slowed on the pit straight before stopping, cruelly, in front of the Toyota garage. The Porsche overtook them and stole victory at the finale. The Toyota that cost hundreds of millions to develop was let down by a faulty air connector that cost less than £5.

2. Hamilton wins his first title on the last corner

In his first season in F1 Lewis Hamilton lost out on the chance to become the youngest ever champion after a clash with his teammate Fernando Alonso and then an electrical drama relegated him to the back of the field in the season finale at Brazil. Ultimately Lewis recovered to sixth - agonisingly one place behind the position he needed to deny Kimi Raikkonen. In 2008, Hamilton was forced to battle again. This time against home favourite Felipe Massa. Hamilton came to Brazil needing fifth or better to secure the title, Massa needed to win and hope Hamilton was sixth or lower. 

On the grid, Massa was on pole, Hamilton started fourth… torrential rain delayed the start and it was the weather that had more than a hand in the drama. Hamilton was running comfortably until the track dried out. McLaren brought Hamilton in a lap later than his rivals dropping him to 7th… he battled back to fifth.. When once again the rain came again. The majority pitted, but crucially Robert Kubica and the two Toyota’s didn’t. It wasn’t wet enough for the full wets.. Kubica unlapped himself from Hamilton, forcing the Brit wide and opening up a door for Sebastian Vettel to pass him.. Knocking Hamilton down to sixth - with Massa leading his championship seemed doomed. The heavy rain on the final lap was not bringing Vettel close enough to pass… until at the final corner James Allen yelled “Is that Glock!?” It was, the Toyota drivers gamble on slick tyres hadn’t paid off - unable to gain traction out of the final corner Vettel and Hamilton flew past giving Hamilton fifth. his first world title - and an angry Ferrari mechanic, who punched the pit wall, a very sore hand.

1. Manchester City win the league in 2012

The title was Manchester City’s to lose, on the final day all they had to match the result of their Cross city rivals Manchester United. City played host to relegation-threatened QPR while Manchester United travelled to Sunderland. Manchester UNited struck first - 20 minutes in Rooney had put them on top of the table. 19 nervous minutes later City struck back through Pablo Zabaleta. Out of half time Djibril Cisse scores for QPR and City are back to second place. The drama is all at the Etihad, former City player, part time poet and occasional Francophile Joey Barton gets sent off for elbowing Tevez. QPR are down to ten men… but ten minutes later are in the lead. Jamie Mackie puts City three points behind their rivals with 30 mins to go.  It’s party time in Sunderland as the games head into injury time. United will win the league unless City can score two. Dzecko nods in an equaliser (2-2). Bolton’s draw with Stoke means that QPR are safe from relegation, but for City the lack of a late equaliser from Sunderland means they are moments from heartbreak again. Before.. With 1 minute of injury time remaining Sergio Aguero swivels in the box and drills the ball home. Euphoria at the Etihad is met with dejection in Sunderland. City win with time disappearing on the clock. 

GTSC Quiz II

GTSC Quiz I

Top 10 Greatest Multi-sport Athletes

With Primoz Roglic dominating the Tour De France it’s easy to forget that he’s competing in his second sport. Ok, it’s not that easy to forget, it’s mentioned seemingly every time he’s on camera that he was once a professional ski jumper. But he’s far from the first elite athlete to excel in more than one sport.

This week’s honourable mentions go to Chris Hoy (Cycling legend and Le Mans Driver), Ash Barty (French Open Tennis Champ and big bash cricketer), Jonty Rhodes (South African Cricketer and international hockey player), Lolo Jones (Olympic hurdles and bobsleigh) and Emma Pooley (cyclist and long distance runner).

With that in mind here are the top 10 multi-sport athletes:

10. Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan is a five time NBA champion, a two time NBA MVP and a fifteen time NBA All-star. A remarkable career, but as a child Duncan was destined for a different athletic future. A teenage swimming sensation, Tim was an excellent freestyle swimmer with his goals set on representing the USA at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. His sister Tricia had swum for the US Virgin Islands at Seoul in 1988, but a double tragedy prevented him from following in the family business. Firstly Hurricane Hugo swept through the Caribbean and destroyed the only pool on the island; it’s been suggested that Duncan wasn’t keen to share the water with the local sharks. The second part of Duncan’s decision to change his path was the death of his mum Ione. She’d been one of the biggest reasons he’d taken up swimming in the first place, with her passing the sport lost it’s joy. Instead at the relatively old age of 14, with the help of his brother in law Rick Lowery turned Tim onto his new sport, basketball. 

9. Ian Botham

Ian Botham, depending on your age reminds you of one of three things Headingley in 1981, Sky Sports cricket coverage or weetabix adverts. What you might not know about Beefy is that he also combined being England’s talisman with being a professional footballer; making 28 appearances for Yeovil and Scunthorpe playing centre back. His achivements may be surprising - but I can’t place him any higher than 13th because there’s another man who combined these two sports with more success that also made the list. Keep your eyes pealed on this grainy footage and you might spot Botham trying to plug some holes in Scunthorpe’s leaky defence.

8. Bo Jackson

One of two men on this list who combined a professional baseball with a career in the NFL. Bo played 694 games in his career scoring 141 home runs for the Royals, White Sox and Angels but was also a first round draft pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986. Preferring not to play Running Back for the historically bad Buccaneers Bo turned his back on football until the LA Raiders eccentric owner Al Davis convinced Bo that playing baseball and football was a possibility. He set a Raiders rushing record against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football picking up 221 yards less than a month after making his NFL debut. A natural athlete who also excelled in track and field Bo became the face of a legendary Nike campaign which highlighted his ability to do, well just about anything. He returned full-time to the baseball field when his foray into NFL ended in injury in 1990. His dual sport career might only have lasted four years; but during that time he might have been the most watchable athlete on the planet.

7. Dennis Compton

Dennis Compton is one of a handful of players to have scored one hundred first class centuries, he’s an inductee in the Cricket hall of fame and he batted at an average of 50 for England’s test side. Compton also starred as a footballer, making 54 official appearances, and handful of unofficial ones for Arsenal. His career straddled World War 2 and thus the prime of his footballing career also coincided with a global conflict that made full internationals impossible - he made 12 appearances for England but didn’t earn an official cap. Compton made his final appearance for Arsenal back in 1950 adding an FA Cup win to the league title he’d won with them back in 1948.

6. Alex Zanardi

In September 2001, former F1 driver and Cart World Champion Alex Zanardi was leading a race in the CART series at Germany’s Lausitzring when he lost control leaving the pits and his spinning car was struck at over 200 mph by the unsighted Alex Tagliani. Alex was lucky to survive, losing both his legs above the knees and 75% of his blood in the incident. His condition was so grave that he spent months in a coma, his wife was told not to inform him of his injuries straight away. Instead she told him the true extent of his injuries to which he replied “I love you very much, don’t worry… now let me go back to sleep I’m tired”. Alex’s trademark humour hadn’t eluded him, neither had his competitive edge he returned to the track and won four races in World Tour Cars before taking up handcycling. His crowning moment happened almost exactly 11 years to the day after his horrific crash when he secured his first Paralympic gold at the London Olympics. He’d earn another gold and a silver, securing two more golds and a silver in Rio at the age of 49.

In June, Alex was competing in the Italian National Road Race when he lost control of his handcycle and was struck by an oncoming truck. Suffering serious head injuries Alex is facing another mammoth return and recovery and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed he can make another incredible comeback.

5. Katie Taylor

In terms of women’s boxing, there is no bigger name than Katie Taylor. As an amateur, she secured five straight World Championship golds and an Olympic title; as a pro, she’s the undisputed World Champion without a blemish on her record. She’s considered the best pound for pound boxer in the sport in part thanks to her famously fast feet - which may have been honed in her other sport. Football. Katie played in the Irish Cup final for Peamount County and represented the Republic of Ireland 11 times, scoring twice… including this absolute worldy against Hungary in a European qualifier

Possibly the greatest goal I've seen while involved as coach of the Irish Women's Team
2007 @FAIreland 2 Hungary 1@KatieTaylor with the long distance strike #20x20 #ShowYourStripes #CantSeeCantBe #InternationalWomenDay2019 pic.twitter.com/qtt5QZOUA2

— Gerard Dunne (@gdunne16) March 8, 2019

4. John Surtees

Motorcycling was in John Surtees’ blood, his dad had been a grasstrack champion who even raced him in his sidecar on occasion as a child. This left a lasting impact on him, he began his own professional career at 21 back in 1955, by 1956 he’d won his first title in the 500cc class. After a down year in 1957 he then won every race in 1958 and 1959 in both the 350cc and 500cc class and retained his titles in 1960. In the process he became the first man to win Isle of Man’s most prestigious TT race, the Senior TT, three times in a row. He then retired from motorcycle racing and took up Formula One, finishing second in his home Grand Prix - his second race in the class. In his third he earned pole. Within three years he’d also picked up the F1 World Title and secured a podium at Le Mans both with Ferrari.

3. Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders is undoubtedly one of the best players to ever step on the gridiron. A member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, he set the NFL record for return touchdowns and even became the first man to start on offence and defence for over thirty years. But Primetime is on this high up the list for because he also starred in another sport, baseball. Deion played 641 baseball games alongside his NFL career, mainly in the MLB, which often overlapped and set a number of unique records including scoring a touchdown and a home run in the same week back in 1989 and becoming the only man to play in a Super Bowl and a World Series.

2. Jim Thorpe

Back to back NFL stars at the top of the list, and with good reason. Jim Thorpe won two Olympic golds in 1912 in two different multi-sport events, bringing home gold in the Pentathlon and Decathlon. That in itself may have earned him a position on this list on its own merit. But he also earned spots in the college and Pro Football Halls of Fame; and played professional baseball for six years and professional basketball for the “World Famous Indians”. His incredible story led to him being immortalised on the silver screen by Burt Lancaster in the 1951 film ‘Jim Thorpe - All American.

1. Rebecca Romero

Top of the pile is Rebecca Romero. Who began her career as one of the world’s best rowers on the planet. A silver medallist at the Athens Olympics in the quadruple skulls she’d earned gold in the same event at the 2005 World Championships. Sadly for her a persistent back injury forced her to retire from the sport in 2006. But Rebecca wasn’t keen to give up on professional sport completely and swapped the rowing lakes for the boards of the velodrome. Instantly it was clear she had the talent to star in track cycling - finishing second at a world cup event in the individual pursuit on her debut, just months after taking the sport up. By 2008 Rebecca had mastered the event winning two World Championship golds before securing the Olympic title in the individual pursuit. In doing so she became only the second woman to win summer Olympic medals in two different sports. 

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10. Goran Ivanišević finally wins Wimbledon

Goran Ivanišević had been Wimbledon’s nearly man in the 90s. He’d faced tennis greats Agassi and Sampras in Wimbledon finals - and pushed them close, but had just fallen short on the big stage. His 1998 defeat to Pistol Pete marked a turning point for Goran, he described his five set defeat as “the worst moment of my life” and was visibly distressed on court. 

By the time of the 2001 tournament he was three years removed from that low point, and it appeared his Wimbledon dream had ended. He hadn’t reached the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam in that time and he’d failed to qualify for the Australian Open. His career was in a tailspin. He’d fallen to 125 in the world rankings and was no longer assured an automatic berth at SW1. 

Given his previous success at Wimbledon the organisers chose to gave him one of that year’s eight wildcard berths and Goran never looked back. Pete Sampras, the seven time champion had beaten him in the final in 94 and 94; but was defeated by a young Swiss star called Roger Federer. The man who’d beaten him in 92 Andre Agassi was defeated by Pat Rafter in the semis… But the path to the final was far from straightforward for the charismatic Croatian. He’d have to beat three current and former World number ones (Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin), the man with the fastest serve on the planet (Greg Reusedski) and fellow Brit Tim Henman (who always ensured a partizan crowd). And that’s before he faced Pat Rafter a two time US Open champ looking to bounceback from his own Wimbledon heartache after losing 12 months earlier. 

It was a nervy affair. Ivanišević double faulted away two separate Championship points - the tension was palpable. One more shot from Rafter - the ball bounced inches out. Ivanišević fell to his knees and prayed where the ball landed. Rafter lobs him - the anguish is written all over his face. Finally he serves at match point - the ball smashes back into the net from Rafter - Ivanisevic collapses sobbing on the court. The crowd explodes.

9. Denmark win Euro 92

Denmark’s Euro 92 qualification campaign was far from ideal - the team were beset by internal squabbles with three of their best players; Jan Molby and the Laudrup brothers refusing to play for head coach Richard Moller at various points in the campaign. They won their final six games, but a home defeat to Yugoslavia and a 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland in Belfast left them second behind Yugoslavia a single point away from qualification.

Seven months after qualification ended and eleven days before the tournament began in Sweden, the Danes were back in. War had broken out in Yugoslavia and a UN resolution barred their football team from competing. The Swede’s still hadn’t resolved all their disputes. While Jan Molby and Brian Laudrup did join the squad, the older Laudrup, Barcelona star Michael, stayed on holiday.

The fairytale finals didn’t get off to the best start. The Danes played out a turgid draw with England in the opener, then lost to hosts Sweden in the second game. For the crucial third game against France, Kim Vilfort, the man tasked with replacing Michael Laudrup’s midfield creativity would be missing. He flew home to visit his daughter in hospital as she fought a desperate battle with leukaemia.

The Danes squeezed past France 2-1 to qualify for the semi-finals. From their they played reigning European Champions the Netherlands. The game, a hard fought tie went to penalties where a young Peter Schmeichel denied Marco Van Basten and send the Danes into the final. Their opponents Germany were competing in their first tournament since the fall of the Berlin wall, but their squad was loaded with the stars of the West German World Cup winning team of 1990. They were prohibitive favourites, but it was the Danes who won 2-0.

Kim Vilfort who returned to the finals at the insistence of his daughter Line and scored the winning goal in the final summed up Denmark’s win: "We didn't have the best players, but we had the best team." Tragically, the greatest moment in his career coincided with one of immense personal tragedy, his daughter Line died days after the tournament concluded at just seven years old.

8. Kurt Warner goes from stacking shelves to the Hall of Fame

The St. Louis Rams came into the 1999 season as big underdogs - they hadn’t won a title since 1951 - 16 years before the first superbowl was awarded. They also hadn’t had a winning season for a decade, with the last four seasons progressively worst. To make matters worse - the man they’d slated to bring them success - big money free agent quarterback Trent Green suffered a season ending injury in pre-season.

Instead of his high price star, head coach Dick Vermeil had to turn the team over to a 28 year old quarterback who had never started an NFL game. A man who’d been stacking shelves on the nightshift in his local supermarket alongside a journeyman career that had seen him play in indoor football and NFL Europe - Kurt Warner.

Charged with salvaging something from the Rams season, Warner starred. Winning the league MVP award, the Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP. Running a feted offence known as the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ he racked up his second MVP season in 2001 on his way to a Super Bowl.

Then in 2008, when everyone had written him off - he nearly pulled off the feat again. He made another Super Bowl appearance with the equally unfancied Arizona Cardinals. Kurt Warner earned a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and his story is set to hit the big screen in the film American Underdog next year.

7. Dominant Man O’War is upset by Upset

Man O’War may be the most successful race horse in history. Racing back in 1919, he broke in a world record at the Prestigious Belmont Stakes and won by twenty lengths. He raced the horse that had just won the triple crown by seven lengths and was recognised as the co-Athlete of the year alongside baseball legend Babe Ruth in 1920. On top of all that his bloodline is said to be found in every successful US racehorse. Quite the legacy. Racing 21 times he won 20… the only defeat, a horse literally called Upset!

Upset snuck in by a head. Man O’War would beat Upset six more times in his career before heading to stud. 

6. Steven Bradbury wades through chaos to Olympic gold

A journeyman speedskater who was in the twilight of his career when he reached the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. Hailing from Sydney he’d been a pioneer for the sport. Winning Australia’s first olympic medal when he won bronze as part of the country’s 5000m relay team at the Lillehammer games in 1994. His career had been beset by a string of horrific injuries including a broken neck in training and a slashed thigh in a World cup event that resulted in four torn muscles in his leg, four litres of lost blood, 111 stitches and an 18 month recovery. 

His top end speed had gone by the time 2002 had arrived. But that didn’t stop him winning his first heat. He appeared to have been eliminated in the quarter finals finishing third of four… until Marc Gagnon was disqualified.. Putting Bradbury in the semis. After chatting with his coach Ann Zhang he decided to hang back off the pack and weight for the drama to unfold. In his semi he was last place until the top three crashed on the last corner allowing him into an Olympic final for the first time. 

In the final the same thing happened, the field smashed into the final turn and Bradbury provided an unlikely Olympic gold. In Australia the phrase “doing a Bradbury” became commonplace for describing unexpected success. 

5. Argentina beat the Dream Team in 2004

If you look through the history of the men’s Olympic basketball tournament you’ll see the USA are pretty dominant. In fact, since 1992 when the USA have been able to draw on the talents of the NBA professionals, they have looked unbeatable. In that time only one team has taken on the dream team at the Olympics and won.

In 2004, the US team included LeBron James, Dwayne Wayde, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan… but they only took home the bronze thanks to Duncan’s Spurs teammate Manu Ginóbili and Argentina. 

Ginóbili scored 29 points and Pepe Brown provided seven assists as Argentina gave the dream team nightmares and secured them a final berth against Italy. In the final Argentina cruised to a fifteen point victory.

4. The Miracle on Ice

The USA have dominated Olympic basketball, but the Soviet Union were the dominant force in ice hockey during the Cold War. By 1980 they had won five of the six previous gold medals, their squad was full of professionals and were overwhelming favourites. The US team was filled exclusively with college students and entered the tournament ranked 7th out of the 12 teams. The USA team scraped into the final after finishing second in their pool and beating Finland in the semis. Few gave the amateur team a chance. The Soviets scored first - and were pegged back, a pattern that repeat again, and again… until the fiftieth minute of sixty when Mike Eruzione who’d just entered the ice hit the winning shot and put the US in front. The game became known as the Miracle on Ice and became one of the biggest moments in US Sporting Lore. 

3. Buster Douglas downs Mike Tyson

Buster Douglas wasn’t expected to win against Mike Tyson. He wasn’t expected to leave the ring standing. The biggest betting was not on who won - but in what round the Ohio born boxing star would hit the canvas. Mike Tyson was undefeated - and hadn’t seen a bout go past the fifth round for three years. The fight was seen as a tune up fight for Tyson’s matchup with Evander Holyfield…but it didn’t work out that way. 

The early fights were close with Douglas landing more heavy punches on Tyson… amazingly by round 8 Tyson was behind on the judge’s scorecards and talk of a shock was brewing. That chatter appeared to be silenced when an uppercut sent Buster crashing to the canvas. The fall was heavy, but Douglas rose to his feet with the count at nine… with the bell saving further abuse. 

In round 9, Tyson began loading up his shots trying to secure a knockout.. Buster struck back and wobbled the champ… Tyson survived the round. But in the next round a flurry of punches led to a KO and left the 42-1 shot celebrating as undisputed champion in Tokyo. 

2. Brawn GP rise from the ashes to win F1 titles.

At the end of the 2008 season Honda pulled out of Formula One. The remaining team were left jobless. Drivers Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button, now approaching the Autumn of their careers faced the very real prospect that their F1 careers could be over. For the hundreds of staff that had worked so hard on the 2009 car it was a devastating blow. 

For one, Honda F1’s technical Director Ross Brawn, the answer was simple. Buy out the Honda team and race under a new name - his. But Honda also supplied the team’s engines and were no longer willing to give the team their old motor forcing Brawn to seek power from elsewhere. In F1, space is limited and engines are both unique and large. So Brawn’s decision was based less on which engine was fastest and more on which engine he could fit in the back of his chassis with the least adjustments. THankfully for Ross - the engine that he chose - Mercedes, was also the fastest. 

The team who were out of the job less than a month ago showed up at the first race in Australia with the fastest car. Jenson Button secured his first career pole and followed it up with a win, Barrichello started and finished second. It was the first time a team had earned a 1-2 on debut since 1954… They became the first team since the first F1 season in 1950 to start their F1 journey with back to back wins in the next race. 

Button and Barrichello would win eight races between them, with Jenson Button taking the drivers title. Brawn would win the constructors championship and the following season the team would be bought by the now all conquering Mercedes marque.

1. Rulon Gardener beats Aleksandr Karelin

Alexsandr Karelin was a Greco-Roman wrestling behemoth. He came into the Sydney Olympics on the back of one of the most dominant runs in sporting history. Fighting at the Super heavyweight 130kg class Alexsandr had earned three straight Olympic golds stretching back to Seoul in 1988, won ten straight European titles, nine straight World championships and was undefeated for 13 years… what’s more he hadn’t conceded a point in six years... He’d fought 887 times… and lost just once… 

In fact he was so dominant that in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 he won the final with one arm after injuring his shoulder in the semifinals…

Then in the Olympic final the unthinkable happened. 

Facing off against Rulon Gardner a dairy farmer from Wyoming - who literally trained by wrestling with cows…Karelin made a mistake - and following a broken hold, gave up his first point in six years. He couldn’t move the American to the mat - losing his final contest. Karelin left his shoes on the mat - and retired on the spot. Gardner became a star of the US talkshow circuit - and when Gardner earned bronze at the Athens Olympics in 2004, Karelin watched on as Gardner too left his shoes in the ring.  

Subsequently Karelin has become an activist for Vladamir Putin and Gardner appears to be living through a real life version of final destination - including a snowmobile crash that left him stranded in freezing conditions (and ultimately lost him a toe) and crashing into a lake in Utah in a light aircraft! 

This article is taken from the latest episode of the Good Time Sports Club podcast. In this week’s episode listen to sailing legend Lawrence Lemieux discuss his journey from living in a van to the Olympics and why he explain why he turned his back on Olympic glory to rescue a competitor. Plus TeamGB’s wheelchair basketball co-captain Sophie Carrigill tells us how she came back from a devastating car crash to reach the Paralympics.

The Good Time Sports Club is available every Friday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and your favourite podcast host.