Sporting Highlights for 2009
Here are some of the sporting highlights of the world of sport in 2009.
On March 3rd, in an incident that shocked the entire sporting world, the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by terrorists while heading to the stadium for playing a match. Fortunately no player was seriously injured in the incident.
Juan Martin del Potro surprised the tennis world by winning the US Open that year. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and the then world No. 1 Roger Federer in the finals en-route to his only grand slam win thus far. Unfortunately Juan has since been hampered by frequent injuries that have severely curtailed his potential.
The US Open provided yet another surprise that year when Kim Clijsters won the women's title after a comeback from retirement. Kim was unranked at that time and was handed a wild card entry. This is the only time a wild card player has ever won a title.
Neymar Jr. is a household name now, but in March of 2009, the mid-fielder from Brazil made his debut in La Liga at only 17 years of age. Neymar played 48 games for Real Madrid and scored 14 goals in the season.
Brazilian player Neymar Jr In a close contest between Chicago and Rio de Janeiro, that even saw Barrak Obama the President of the United States address the IOC, Rio was selected to host the 2016 Olympics. It is the first time the Olympics will be hosted in a South American country.
New York Yankees won their 27th World Series in their 40th appearance in the finals. Lance Armstrong was somewhat successful in his comeback, finishing third in the Tour de France behind the winner Spain's Alberto Contador (who also went on to win in 2010, but was later stripped of this win).
Nineteen people were killed and 135 were injured in a stampede in the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, before a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match between Malawi and Côte d'Ivoire.
See some videos from the world of sport in 2009. See the Top Earners for 2009.
The 2009 Laureus World Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards went to sprinter Usain Bolt and pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 2009.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Jan | Tennis Australia Open won by Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams (3 out of last 4). |
| Feb 1 | Super Bowl held in Tampa, Florida was won by the Pittsburgh Steelers. |
| April | Golf Masters won by Ángel Cabrera. |
| May 24 - Jun 7 | Tennis French Open won by Roger Federer and Svetlana Kuznetsova. |
| June | Golf US Open won by Lucas Glover. |
| July | the 2009 Cycling Tour de France was won by Alberto Contador |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon won by Roger Federer and Serena Williams |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Stewart Cink. |
| Jul 19 - Aug 2 | World Swimming Championships in Rome |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by Yang Yong-eun. |
| Sep | Tennis US Open won by Juan Martin del Potro and Kim Clijsters. |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by the New York Yankees. |
Please note that the dates for past events are not always known, and are sometimes just placed in the month that the current event is held. If no exact date is listed, then it is just an estimated month that it was held.
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 2009
- Timeline (all years) in the world of sport
- For sporting events in 2011 and other future 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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