World records smashed. Crowds roaring. Upsets silencing the globe. The year 2024 has ushered in a new era of sporting events, showcasing unparalleled athleticism and unforgettable moments.
The Olympics are an international sporting event that has been captivating the world for decades. From its beginnings in Greece, the Olympics have kept up with a changing world. This year’s Olympics have seen the rise of many new events and countries, making it one of the most popular sporting events of the year. This year saw the introduction of break-dancing
However, Liam Stewart, 8th grade communications major isn’t too happy about this new addition.
“Breakdancing is not really a sport. It’s not like track, shot put, or any of the other sports,” Stewart says. “Like football and soccer is ok but not breakdancing. In my opinion, breakdancing belongs on America’s Got Talent, not the Olympics.”
Others have argued on the other foot though. Bayden Sow, an 8th-grade band major, claims that breakdancing is actually beneficial to the Olympics and would attract more viewers.
“I think breakdancing would be fun to watch and it has a lot of cool moves. I think it’s entertaining to watch because it has a lot of skill and requires a lot of core and leg strength.” Sow says.
In track and field, American sprinter Jaden Williams has set a new world record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 19.22 seconds, surpassing the previous record held by Usain Bolt. In the Men’s 100-meter final, Noah Lyles took gold by five thousandths of a second, making it one of the closest finishes of all time.
Nonetheless, track and field isn’t where all the major achievements lie. In gymnastics, 18-year-old Sofia Martinez from Spain won the gold medal in the all-around competition. This makes her the youngest female gymnast to achieve this title.
In tennis, Novak Djokovic has finally won his golden slam title after almost a decade. A golden slam is achieved after a tennis player wins all 4 opens (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open) and an Olympic gold medal in singles.
On the topic of tennis, another influential win happened during a different tournament. The U.S. Open, one of the 4 major opens saw Jannik Sinner win over Taylor Fritz.
“The final was the best match because it was fun to see Fritz win 5 points in a row in the second set. He was riling up the crowd and was beating Sinner really badly. However, Sinner ended up winning in the end.” said Rayan Vasuki, an eighth communications major.
However, although Sinner won the match, he may face a ban for up to 2 years due to the fact that he tested positive for blood doping.
In the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, the champions of last year, played the Baltimore Ravens the number 1 in the AFC North last year, kickstarting the 2024 season. The season continued with the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, suffering his third concussion in a game against the Buffalo Bills.
“The Portfolio Newspaper asked Bak, what the most important sport was here are the results”
Many of the students said they were interested in eSports. While many people don’t consider eSports as a “sport”, there are many who think that eSports should be considered a sport as it requires a high skill level and isn’t as easy as it seems.
“I think eSports is a sport because it requires a lot of skill because people who play well spend a lot of practice.” Bayden Sow, 8th grade band major said
Studies show that each gamer trains for up to 16 hours a day on average. Training includes reaction testing and physical conditioning. According to one study, eSports gamers had similar reaction times to those of an F1 driver. This year’s eSports competitions included the FNCS or Fortnite Champion Series. This tournament saw the victory of young players Peter Kata and his teammate Miguel Moreno. They took the gaming world by storm and many consider them the best in the world due to this tournament.
Speaking of racing, this year had many monumental events in the racing world. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix took place at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan on September 15 and showed big upsets that silenced the crowd. In the race, number one seed Max Verstappen lost to Lando Norris by 12 seconds.
Along with a poor qualification, Norris originally started 9 places behind Verstappen. Verstappen, who was struggling for a rear grip because he used up the best of his tires after pitting, tried to overtake Norris but the McClaren driver defended well.
Eventually, he pitted, Norris went ahead of Fernando Alonso and had a clear track to Verstappen. In the end, he won against the number 1 seed by 12 seconds, creating a shocking upset. Oscar Piastri, an Australian F1 driver ended up winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Earlier in the year, the Italian Grand Prix took place at the Monza Circuit in Monza, Italy on September 1. For the first time since 2019, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc had a home win after he beat McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Because of Ferrari’s strategy, Leclerc was able to drive 37 laps on hard tires at the end of the race. This came as a surprise and created an electrifying finish.
In soccer news, the Champions League took place at the Wembley Stadium in London. Currently, Borussia Dortmund, Stade Brestois, and Bayer Leverkusen are leading the table with two points each. Other teams including Manchester City and Inter Milan fall behind with only one point each. Audiences look forward to thrilling matches between highly ranked teams such as Liverpool and Real Madrid.
In Spain, the LaLiga soccer tournament kicked off on August 15 and presently, Barcelona is on top with 21 points, 3 points ahead of second-standing Real Madrid. In their most recent match, Barcelona ended up winning 5-0 against the Young Boys. With only one loss, getting beat by Monaco 2-1, they hope to keep the lead ahead of LaLiga’s most successful team and defending champions, Real Madrid who suffered 3 draws.
Hosted by Germany and happening through June and July, the UEFA Euro concluded with Spain’s national football team winning the final 2-1 against England. Key players included Spain’s young prodigy, Lamine Yamal who is only 16 years old, and Rodri, who played a vital role in Spain’s win over England in the final. However, earlier in the Euro 2024, Georgia pulled off a massive upset as they beat Portugal 2-0, advancing them to the knockout stages.
Overall, the year 2024 has been an eventful season filled with many upsets and shocking victories. Across many sports, players have shown their ability to separate themselves from the norm. From the Olympics to Esports, many records have been broken and intense matches had audiences on the edge of their seats, showcasing a successful 2024 sporting year.
