Sporting Highlights for 2008
Here are the sporting highlights of the world of sport in 2008. The biggest event of the year was the Beijing Summer Olympics — and despite fears that it would be marred by delayed construction, poor organization and high levels of pollution, it was a very successful Games. Highlight performances at the Games were by swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.
In Beijing, Usain Bolt unleashed a monster that the world had not witnessed before and more likely will never again. He set a new world record in the 100m at 9.69 seconds. As great as it is, it was overshadowed by how he finished the race. With about 10 meters to go, Bolt slowed down and began to celebrate. What would have happened if he had just gone full speed is something we'll never know. Pundits believe he could have cracked 9.5.
In April, after several years of intense criticism for the undeserved attention she gets, Danica Patrick was finally able to win her first Indy race to become the first woman to ever win a professional race competing against men.
After two failed attempts in 2006 and 2007, Rafael Nadal was finally able to defeat Roger Federer in the Wimbledon finals and grab the World No 1 ranking from him. It didn't come easy though. After Nadal cruised through the first two sets, Federer fought back taking the next two. The match was decided in a punishing fifth set which Nadal won 9-7. The 2008 Laureus World Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards went to tennis players Roger Federer and Justine Henin.
Rafael Nadal won the French Open in MayThe year ended with the Detroit Lions of the NFL recording the most embarrassing event in all of sports history. They finished the regular season winless, losing all the 16 matches they played.
Tiger Woods won the US Golf Open for the third time, and was again the Top Earner for 2008. Both the USA PGA and The Open Championship was won by Pádraig Harrington. In soccer, Manchester United confirmed their number one status by winning the Premier League, Champions League and World Club Championship.
See some videos from the world of sport in 2008.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 2008.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Jan | Tennis Australia Open won by Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova. |
| Feb | Super Bowl held in Glendale, Arizona won by New York Giants. |
| April | Golf Masters won by Trevor Immelman. |
| May | Tennis French Open won by Rafael Nadal (Spain) and Ana Ivanovic (Serbia). |
| May 24 – June 4 | In the Stanley Cup finals, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 |
| June 5-7 | The Celtics won the NBA title |
| June | Golf US Open won by Tiger Woods. |
| July | the 2008 Cycling Tour de France was won by Carlos Sastre. |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon won by Rafael Nadal (Spain) and Venus Williams (USA). |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Pádraig Harrington. |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by Pádraig Harrington. |
| August 8 - 24 | Summer Olympic Games were held in Beijing, China, with China leading the medal tally. |
| Sep | Tennis US Open won by Roger Federer (Swiz) and Serena Williams |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by Philadelphia Phillies |
If you have a correction or know of events that should be included here, please let me know.
Related Pages
- Ballon D'or Winners for 2008
- Timeline (all years) in the world of sport
- For future sporting events, see the Calendar of Major Sporting Events
- More about the World of Sport
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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