On fields, meadows, slopes, fitness equipment, 2022 has written yet another chapter of victories, records, overcoming obstacles, but also great moments of farewell to the world of sport.
On fields, meadows, slopes, fitness equipment, 2022 has written yet another chapter of victories, records, overcoming obstacles, but also great moments of farewell to the world of sport.
Andréia Gomes Durao, of RFI
The year was theirs, the Argentines won their third Scudetto by beating France in a thrilling final, a historic final at the World Cup in Qatar. After 36 years of waiting, Albiceleste put the third star on their shirt with a victory at the Lusail stadium.
This victory also represents the conquest of the dream title that Lionel Messi was missing, who was playing in his fifth World Cup.
We did it! We really couldn’t ask for more! We can only be happy to end the tournament like this with the trophy in hand. I’ve waited so long for this, my teammates and all of Argentina. Now we are champions We knew we had to be champions and we did it,” he said. fry the player was voted seven times Ballon d’Or by FIFA.
Fourth in the World Cup, the Moroccans return home without a trophy, but with their heads held high, after their best World Cup ever, and with the historical mark of being the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. tournament.
The sixth championship has been postponed
Third on the podium in Doha, Croatia ended Brazil’s six-man dream. The fifth elimination of the Brazilian national team by a European team. The defeat marks the end of a cycle, with Tite leaving the lead and uncertainty about Neymar’s stay in the team. Defender Thiago Silva, captain of the 2014 and 2022 Cups, also says goodbye to the national team at the age of 38.
However, the Brazilian team remains in first place in the FIFA rankings, followed by Argentina (2nd) and France (3rd).
In women’s football, the English “lionesses” won the European championship for the first time. With more than 87,000 gathered at Wembley Stadium in London, the final against Germany broke the attendance record for a match in the European Championship football, women’s or men’s.
But the meadows were also the scene of sad scenes. At least 174 people died in Indonesia in October and 180 others were injured in panic after a soccer match. The worst tragedy in a sports hall for almost 60 years.
In late January, eight people were also killed and 38 injured after dozens of fans were overrun after a riot at the entrance to the Olembé stadium, where the Cameroonian side faced the Comoros in the CAN round of 16. (Africa Cup).
Federer and Serena
From grass to clay. In 2022, Rafael Nadal won Roland Garros for the fourteenth time. The Spanish tennis player has not only established himself as the greatest champion of the Parisian courts, but he has also broken the record of the oldest sportsman to lift the French trophy, at 36 years old.
Also at Roland Garros, Ymanitu Silva, a native of Santa Catarina, the greatest exponent of wheelchair tennis in Brazil, achieved one of the greatest feats of his career. Second in the doubles tournament, Ymanitu is currently in 11th place.
“My biggest goal is to be in the top 7 in the world. If I achieve my first goal, I can participate in all Grand Slam tournaments to play wheelchair tennis in Brazil. Then I want to go back to the Paralympics and who knows, win a medal, said ai fry🇧🇷
But in tennis the year also marks the farewell of Swiss Roger Federer, 41, retires from the courts at the Laver Cup tournament in London. During a 24-year career, he played more than 1,500 matches and a total of 103 single-tournament titles alone, being world No. 1 five times and winning 20 Grand Slam titles.
Among women, she is the one who “transformed tennis”, “opened the doors”, “invented harassment” and “reshaped the relationship between sport and business”. So explained his former coach Patrick Mouratoglou how Serena Williams became the greatest tennis player in history. This example of an athlete and commitment also retired permanently in 2022.
The early withdrawal of tennis player no. 1 WTA ranked has reignited the discussion about athletes’ mental health. At 25, Australian Ashleigh Barty surprised the world by announcing she would no longer play professional tennis matches. After winning 15 singles titles, including three Grand Slam titles, she admitted she was exhausted.
The announcement draws attention to the physical and psychological problems of other professional athletes. “I no longer have the physical, emotional and everything it takes to challenge myself at the highest level,” Barty revealed during his farewell.
goodbye isabella
On the pitches and sand, the world salutes Isabel do Vôlei, the icon of sport, who passed away in December at the age of 62. Isabel Salgado competed at the 1980 Games in Moscow and four years later in Los Angeles, USA. She was one of the first big stars of Brazilian volleyball and the first female athlete in the country to play professionally abroad. Another pioneering spirit would preside over her participation in beach volleyball in the 1990s.
In cycling, the Brazilian Flávia Oliveira was the great champion of the 30th edition of L’Étape du Tour 2022, in July a debate open to amateurs who follow the same path as the professionals of the Tour de France, the most important road cycling race in the world .
The year was also a golden one for Alison dos Santos of Brazil, who took 1st place at the 18th World Championships in Athletics, in Oregon, USA, in the 400m hurdles. The 22-year-old lei won one of the sport’s most important races with a time of 46s29, breaking South American and world records.
“When I commented on the race, the final, there was a lot of emotion as I passed the last barrier and knew I was going to be world champion. I just literally wanted to cross the line and celebrate, enjoy this moment,” said al fry🇧🇷
Rafael Pereira of Minas Gerais, meanwhile, finished second in the 110m hurdles at the Meeting de Paris, held in the French capital in June this year. Rafael set a time of 13s25 in the semifinal and repeated the same time in the final of the Meeting, securing the silver medal, behind only the American Allen Davon, one of the best riders in the discipline.
“The first time I saw my main opponents was at the Games [de Tóquio 2021], the day of the race. I was just a rookie yet I was following a plan. Not now, I’m already part of the world circuit, an important wealth of experience, and I intend to evolve not only physically but also mentally for Paris 2024”, revealed the athlete.
Rebecca’s dance
And 2022 was still his year, which continued to conquer the world to the rhythm of his Favela Ball. In 2020, the first Brazilian gymnast to become an Olympic champion, Rebeca Andrade made history again this year by winning overall gold in individual artistic gymnastics at the Liverpool World Cup in England. Another point never reached by a Brazilian athlete.
And that in 2023, the golden athletes of Brazil will continue to give a ball of talent and determination around the world.
