Top sports stories of 2024

Jurgen Klopp bid farewell to Liverpool, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray drew the curtain on their careers as Jannik Sinner and Scottie Scheffler endured the highs and lows of success.

AFP Sport looks back at some of the top stories outside the Olympics that made the headlines in 2024.

Clouds for Sinner, Swiatek despite Slams

— Jannik Sinner captured the Australian Open and US Open, became world number one, claimed the ATP Tour Finals and led Italy to a successful defence of the Davis Cup.

However, the 23-year-old’s immediate future in the sport remains under a cloud in a doping test controversy.

Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing after traces of the steroid clostebol were found in his system in March, the world anti-doping body WADA is demanding a suspension of one to two years.

Later in November, it was revealed that five-time major winner Iga Swiatek had accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ).

However, the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted that it was caused by “the contamination of a regulated non-prescription medication (melatonin), manufactured and sold in Poland that the player had been taking for jet lag and sleep issues”.

Nadal and Murray call it quits

— Rafael Nadal called it quits on a career which brought him 22 Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and four Davis Cup crowns.

On top of that, the 38-year-old, who fought out epic battles with rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, won praise for his humility on and off the court.

Murray, a three-time major winner who famously ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s Wimbledon champion in 2013, and like Nadal plagued by injuries in recent years, also called time on his career.

However, the 37-year-old ended the year by agreeing to coach Djokovic in 2025.

Scheffler success on course, trouble off it

— Golf world number one Scottie Scheffler enjoyed a magnificent season, becoming the first player to win seven PGA Tour titles, including his second Masters victory, in a year since Tiger Woods in 2007.

The American also won Olympic gold in Paris.

However, the most remarkable moment of Scheffler’s year came at the PGA Championship in May at Valhalla when he was arrested outside the course and charged with several misdemeanours and for assaulting a police officer.

Scheffler, who called the incident “a big misunderstanding”, was released later in the morning and still made it to his second-round tee time.

All the charges were dropped less than a fortnight later.

Klopp says farewell to Liverpool

— Jurgen Klopp shocked the football world in January by announcing his plan to leave Liverpool at the end of the season because he was “running out of energy”.

The German, who arrived at the club in October 2015, won seven major trophies at Liverpool, including the club’s first league title for 30 years and the 2019 Champions League.

He also lifted the FA Cup and won two League Cups in his spell at Anfield.

“People say I turned them from doubters into believers. That’s not true. You did it. Nobody tells you to stop believing,” Klopp said as he addressed the crowd after a 2-0 win over Wolves on the final day.

Pogacar and triple crown

— Tadej Pogacar completed one of the greatest cycling seasons of all time in 2024.

The 26-year-old Slovenian captured a Tour de France and Giro d’Italia double, the world title and Monuments at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and a fourth Tour of Lombardy. In all, he racked up 25 wins across the calendar.

His triple crown of Giro, Tour de France and world title had not been achieved in the same season since Stephen Roche in 1987.

His fourth successive Tour of Lombardy equalled a record streak of victories set by cycling great Fausto Coppi over seven decades ago.

Spain taste glory at Euro 2024

— A youthful Spain side lit up an otherwise  uninspiring European Championship as they claimed a record fourth Euros title in 2024.

Despite a Nations League triumph in 2023, few counted Spain among the pre-tournament favourites but they emerged worthy winners, beating holders Italy, hosts Germany, 2018 World Cup winners France and England on their way to glory in Berlin.

Luis de la Fuente’s team was spearheaded by teenager Lamine Yamal, who at 16 became the youngest-ever scorer in the tournament’s history with a sumptuous long-distance curling effort in the semi-final win against France, and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

High jump queen Mahuchikh breaks 37-year-old mark

— Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the 37-year-old women’s world record at Paris in July with a jump of 2.10 metres before going on to become Olympic champion in the French capital a few weeks later.

But her thoughts were never far from the war with Russia which has raged for almost three years.

Mahuchikh has helped fund wheelchairs for disabled orphans and she donated her prize money from the Olympics “to our army and an animal shelter,” she told AFP.

New Zealand end India’s 12-year streak

— New Zealand did the unthinkable when they registered a 3-0 Test sweep of cricketing powerhouse India for their first ever series win on Indian soil in the five-day format.

The tourists won the first two matches to hand India their first Test series defeat at home in 12 years and later the whitewash was termed by skipper Rohit Sharma a “low point” of his career.

India suffered batting collapses through the three Tests including their 46 all out in the opener in Bengaluru and were also undone by opposition spinners Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel.

Pakistan humbled by USA

— The United States gave cricket one of its greatest upsets when they beat Asian giants Pakistan in a T20 World Cup group match in Texas.

Pakistan batted first to reach 159-7 and the minnows managed the same score before the tied match was decided in a Super Over as America’s India-born paceman Saurabh Netravalkar held his nerve in the final six balls to create history.

Pakistan later crashed out of the tournament in round one, while the US marched ahead to the Super Eights stage

Chepngetich obliterates world marathon record

— Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya obliterated the women’s world record by almost two minutes when she won October’s Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56.

The 30-year-old broke the previous world record of 2:11:53 set by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa last year in Berlin.

Chepngetich, who also won in Chicago in 2021 and 2022, dedicated her latest victory to Kelvin Kiptum, who set the men’s world record at last year’s race just four months before he died in a car accident at the age of 24.

Verstappen joins F1 greats after season turmoil

— Max Verstappen became just the sixth man to win four Formula One world titles after a season of drama and controversy for him and his Red Bull team on and off the track.

There was speculation Verstappen could move to Mercedes to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton next year after Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate conduct towards a woman colleague.

Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing ahead of the season-opener in Bahrain but the off-track scandal rumbled on for weeks.

Korda in seventh heaven

— World number one Nelly Korda won seven LPGA titles in 2024, taking the 26-year-old’s career total to 15.

Korda’s trophy blitz began in January at the Drive On Championship in her hometown of Bradenton, Florida.

It continued with wins at the Pak Se-ri Championship in Los Angeles, the Ford Championship and LPGA Match Play ahead of her second major title at the Chevron Championship and the Americas Open in May.

Her seventh title came at the Annika Tournament in November.

Baseball history for Ohtani

— Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani carved out an historic season which saw him help the Los Angeles Dodgers to the World Series title.

The 30-year-old also took his second MVP award in a row after also becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.

Ohtani, who signed a record 10-year deal worth $700 million with the Dodgers last December, sparked the team’s run to the World Series crown, beating the Yankees in the best-of-seven final.

Mbappe’s dream stalls

— French superstar Kylian Mbappe completed a transfer that had been years in the making when he signed for Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain. He was unveiled at the Spanish club’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium in front of 80,000 fans in July and declared that his “dream has come true”.

However, the 25-year-old endured a difficult start to life at his new club, struggling to fit into a team that were Spanish and European champions last season and in which Brazilian star Vinicius Junior was already playing in Mbappe’s favoured position on the left of the attack.

Mbappe had a disappointing Euro 2024 with France as he was hampered by a broken nose. In recent months he has been distracted by off-field issues, including a reported investigation into an alleged rape in Sweden and a bitter row with old club PSG over some 55 million euros ($57.3m) in unpaid wages – a legal battle he eventually won. He has also been left out of recent France squads, despite being the captain, amid questions about his state of mind.