Sporting stars of the year so far

We are nearly a quarter of the way through the calendar year and already in that time we have witnessed some brilliant sporting moments. We’ve already had some great sports events, team efforts and individual performances – so who are some of the sports stars of the year so far?

Coco Gauff

In the world of tennis, the start of the year means the Australian Open and it was certainly full of moments to remember. It was the first time that the then-15-year-old Coco Gauff had featured in the tournament and she certainly kicked things off with a bang.

She defeated Venus Williams mercilessly in straight sets in the first round. Gauff then went on to beat Sorana Cirstea in the next round and then Naomi Osaka, who was the defending champion, in the third. That victory rendered her the youngest person to beat a top-five player since 1991, when Jennifer Capriati beat Gabriela Sabatini at the US Open.

In the fourth round, Gauff lost to Sofia Kenin, who would go on to win the tournament. The match was decided in three sets, with Gauff losing the final one to love, but she had already produced an Australian Open run to remember. The teenager was also part of a doubles team that reached the quarter-finals before, again, being eliminated by the eventual champions.

Tyson Fury

Boxer Tyson Fury delivered the most devastating fight of his career when putting an end to Deontay Wilder’s half-a-decade reign as WBC heavyweight world champion. The ordeal took place over seven rounds and was played out in Las Vegas with countless people watching around the world.

The 31-year-old left nothing in the ring, outwitting and outmuscling Wilder who, before that day, was undefeated. Fury brought all thing things he said he would bring to the fight and was utterly destructive in a way that was incomparable to his performance when the pair fought and drew in 2018.

Wilder found himself on the floor in both the third and the fifth rounds and spent a lot of time backing up away from the lethal British puncher. The towel was thrown in during the seventh round and Fury made an almighty statement, winning a world title but also overcoming personal and professional demons of years gone by.

Liverpool

It’s pretty challenging to discuss great sporting performances this year without mentioning Liverpool. Yes, they may have been eliminated from the Champions League but they went into the calendar year as the reigning champions and their performances on the pitch were more than exemplary.

Having built up a lead at the top of the Premier League table before the New Year, any doubts people had of the Reds’ ability to maintain it were quashed when Jurgen Klopp’s side spent the start of 2020 extending that lead even further. As the table stands, they are 25 points in front of Manchester City.

They have some outstanding talent but arguably do not have the strongest overall team in the league. On top of that, they had to spread their squad very thinly at times in order to navigate their league season and multiple cup runs. Despite all this, the Reds have recorded an incredible overall performance this year and will certainly be a very dangerous side for some time to come.