The best sporting moments of 2020 so far

We may only be a few months into the 2020 calendar year but, already, there had been a plethora of world-class action taking place across plenty of different sporting stratospheres. Let’s look back on a few of the most memorable sporting moments of the year so far.

Chiefs claim first Super Bowl win in 50 years

Back in February, the Kansas City Chiefs claimed their first Super Bowl win in half-a-century when they overturned a 10 point deficit, going on to see out the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 31-20.

The much anticipated contest took place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami where, for much of the game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was trying to withstand the might of the San Francisco side and hope was fading.

The score was 20-10 as the fourth quarter was entered when Mahomes, last year’s MVP, executed two perfect throws on third down as he began to orchestrate another comeback in a season where the Chiefs have come from behind on multiple occasions.

His side went on to record 21 points unanswered in just four minutes and 57 seconds, which was more than enough to claim the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Damien Williams’ second touchdown of the last quarter capped off a stunning comeback before incredible scenes of rapture took hold.

Mahomes was deservedly named Most Valuable Player and praised his coach Andy Reid for keeping him motivated and confident going into the game. The performance was a testament to never losing faith, which each player in that team maintaining positivity and the belief that a way to win would be found.

Djokovic wins eighth Australian Open

Novak Djokovic recorded his eight Australian Open victory earlier this year, rendering him the player who has won the tournament the most times in the Open era (2008, 2011–2013, 2015–2016, 2019–2020).

In dramatic circumstances, even for a Grand Slam final, Djokovic twice had to call for the trainer – both times while he was behind in the match. He himself later said that he felt that he was right on the cusp of defeat as dehydration took hold.

Fellow finalist Dominic Thiem was receiving plenty of support from the Melbourne crowd but Djokovic fought back. This was Thiem’s third loss in a Grand Slam final, while Djokovic sealed his 17th grand slam.

The feat put him back on top of the world rankings and moved him to within three of Roger Federer’s all-time leading total of 20 men’s singles titles, and just two behind Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who sits on 19.

Ben Stokes’ historic performance leads England to victory

Ben Stokes turned out a man of the match performance on day five of the second Test against South Africa back in January.

In taking the final three wickets to lead England to a 189-run victory over the Proteas in the second Test, Stokes showed his phenomenal talent. He finished it off with the ball, but his second innings with the bat, when he hit a magnificent 72 off 47 balls, was also hugely vital.

Stokes is clearly cut out for those massive, match-deciding moments and showed every bit why he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the year at the end of 2019. His incredible year last year saw him inspire his country’s win at the World Cup final but he didn’t stop there. Stokes went on to produce what was arguably one of the best Test innings in cricket history during the third Ashes Test against Australia.