2015 hit us with some great sporting moments. Odds were defied. Records were broken. Titles were defended and above all hearts were broken like Avram Grant's Black Stars at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Top 15 sports moments of 2015
Sports moments the grabbed the headline for the year 2015
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All in all, it was a great year for the world of sports and here are 15 top sports moments of the year 2015:
African Cup of Nations final
Ivory Coast won their first African Cup of Nations cup for the first time since 1992 by beating the Black Stars of Ghana.
The Elephants beat Avram Grant’s side 8-9 on penalties after a goalless draw in 120 minutes of football.
Ghana Premier League
Ashanti Gold ended a 19-year wait to win the Ghana Premier League, dethroning rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko. The win for the Premier League side was their fourth in Ghana’s top flight football.
Wimbledon 2015
Serena Williams spiced it up a bit with her celebration for winning the 2015 Wimbledon. Who could blame her? A sixth win of the title gave her every right to pose as she wanted with the Venus Rosewater Dish and she did excel in that too. Champion!
NFL Super Bowl XLIX
The most watched sporting event on American soil did not disappoint as usual. From The New England Patriots wining against Seahawks to Katy Perry’s ‘Left Shark’ dancer going viral during the halftime show, that was a sporting moment to remember.
UEFA Champions League final
Barcelona were too good for Juventus. Goals from Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Neymar overpowered Alvaro Morata’s consolation for Juventus as the Spanish giants won their 5th UEFA Champions League trophy.
Mayweather vs Pacquiao
The fight of the century was the hype. Will he or will he not? Well, he did! Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao to keep his unbeaten record in his boxing career. The boxing legend eventually hanged up his gloves with 49 fights without defeat. Champ!
Women’s World Cup
The US Women’s National Team made history in 2015. The team was the first women’s soccer team to win three World Cups when they beat Japan by five goals to two to lift the Women’s World Cup in Canada.
NBA finals
Golden States Warriors did it! For the first time in 40 years, they won the NBA finals against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers.
Stephen Curry revived their Warriors as their fresh-faced shooting superstar and as he hoisted the trophy in the air to end a 40-year NBA championship drought, it was a moment to behold for Golden States Warriors.
US Open [Golf]
21-year-old Jordan Spieth became the youngest winner of the national golf championship since Bobby Jones won in 1923. 92 years was a wild wait but 2015 finally delivered. A delivery Dustin Johnson did not relish.
Copa America
Chile denied Lionel Messi’s Argentina side yet another trophy after beating them in the final to lift the Copa America. Alexis Sanchez and his Chile side won 4-1 on penalties after a goalless draw. Argentina also missed out on the 2014 FIFA World Cup final in Brazil with Germany wining it in extra time.
F1 [US Grand Prix]
Lewis Hamilton retained his title as Word Champion in Austin to make it a third F1 world title at the US Grand Prix.
And his message was simple. “I feel blessed. I’m just overwhelmed at the moment.”
IAAF World Championships 100m final [Beijing 2015]
With Justin Gatlin coming into the final at the back of a 28-race unbeaten run, this was a real challenge for 100m world title holder Usain Bolt.
And Bolt lived up to the challenge to retain his 100m world title as the Jamaican marked his territories in Beijing … again!
Roland-Garros 2015
Swiss tennis professional Stan Wawrinka stunned Novak Djokosvic with a stunning performance to win his first Roland-Garros title. Wawrinka powered himself to victory by beating No.2 ranked Roger Federer before earning a record 4-6, 6-4, 6-3,6-4 victory over the word No. 1.
English Premier League
The current state of the English Premier League champions shows winning the most watched league on the planet is no easy task.
Rewind to final day of last season and the Chelsea players will tell you lifting the trophy for the first time since Jose Mourinho’s return was a moment to savour.
MotoGP [Valencia Grand Prix]
Jorge Lorenzo was crowned MotoGP world champion at the Valencia Grand Prix and said afterwards:
“I was under a lot of pressure, the rear tyre was destroyed. I just tried to focus and go as fast as possible, the bike was moving around so much.
“I was praying to finish the race. Now I am five-times world champion, it is easy to say but hard to do. I am very proud. This is a world title for Spain!”
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