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Looking back at the Best Sporting Moments of 2021

Published

4 weeks ago

22nd March 2024

The Best Sporting Moments of 2021

2021 was the year that sport started coming back to normal. Players returned to the playing field, while fans began to return to the stands and look into great sports betting options. And they weren’t disappointed! There were plenty of memorable triumphs and upsets in all the major league sports, as well as track, tennis, and gymnastics events. Let’s take a look at some of the most exceptional sporting moments of the past year.

NFL: Tampa Bay Lightning takes the Stanley Cup

On July 7, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens to win their second NFL Stanley Cup in a row. A spectacular shut-out by goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy secured the fifth game of the series for the Lightning, clinching the Cup and earning Vasilevskiy the title of series MVP (Most Valued Player). Left Winger Pat Maroon, who played for the Stanley Cup-winning St. Louis Blues in 2019, also became the first player to win three straight titles in almost 40 years.

NBA: the Milwaukee Bucks win the championship

When the Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA championship in 1971, the franchise was only three seasons old. Milwaukee would have to wait another 50 years before they won their second title. In 2021, after losing the first two finals’ games, the Bucks rebounded and won the next four, culminating in a tough 105-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns in game six. Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was named NBA Finals MVP, thanks to a spectacular run of games that saw him averaging 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists throughout the series.

MLB: Atlanta Braves Win the World Series

Until August, the Braves didn’t have a great season. After superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. injured his knee on July 10, nobody even expected Atlanta to make the playoffs. But they managed to win the National League East division with a meager 88 wins and crept into the postseason after all. Then the Braves started to knock it out of the park. They eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers and caused a major upset by defeating the LA Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Atlanta outfielder Jorge Soler was named MVP after a series of game-winning performances that took the Braves all the way to a 7-0 championship win over the Houston Astros on November 7. It was their first World Series title in 26 years.

Track: Team USA aces the women’s 4-x-400 meter relay

One of the most exciting sporting events of 2021 was when the US women’s relay team won the 4-x-400 meter relay at the Tokyo Olympics. It was a dream team composed of top women athletes from different disciplines. 400-meter hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin dashed into the lead and passed the baton to veteran sprinter Allyson Felix, who handed it on to 2016 gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad. 19-year-old 800-meter gold medalist Athing Mu received the baton and sprinted to the finish. Team USA won the relay by four seconds, and Felix took her Olympic medal total to 11, more than any other US track and field athlete.

Gymnastics: Suni Lee wins gold

US gymnastic fans were shocked when legendary US gymnast Simone Biles dropped out of the individual all-around at the Tokyo Olympics, even though she was the top qualifier. Then 18-year-old Minnesotan Suni Lee stepped up to the plate. She was under a lot of pressure. After all, the US had won the individual all-around at the Olympics four times in a row! Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade placed first in the first rotation with the vault, but Lee pulled away in the second, doing the uneven bars. The gold medal came down to the fourth rotation, the floor, but Andrade stepped out of bounds twice, making Lee the undisputed champion and extending Team USA’s Olympic winning streak.

Indy 500: Hélio Castroneves’s winning streak continues

46-year-old open-wheel racing star Hélio “Spider-Man” Castroneves is living proof that age is no obstacle to success. On May 30, he outlasted youngster Álex Palou on the straight to bring home his fourth Indianapolis 500 title. It was Castroneves’ first Indy 500 victory since 2009, making him only the fourth person ever to win the event four times, along with racing greats A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., and Rick Mears.