The benchmark for assessing whether a year in sport was a success or failure invariably hinges on the smallest of margins. The year just gone was no different in that respect with some of the most unforgettable moments coming down to the fickle hand of fate as much as skill or strength.
Nothing illustrated that more than Ireland’s elimination from the Rugby World Cup after a thrilling quarter-final with New Zealand. An outstretched hand by an an All Blacks player prevented a certain Irish try by Ronan Kelleher at a pivotal point in the second half before the Kiwis eked out the narrowest of wins.
Kerry’s David Clifford, the outstanding gaelic footballer of his generation, shaved the posts with a point opportunity in the dying minutes of the All Ireland football final which would have put his county ahead before Dublin squeezed over the finishing line. Athletes Ciara Mageean and Rhasidat Adeleke suffered the same cruel outcome as they came within fractions of seconds of podium places at the world championships.
These near misses remind us that there are some defeats in sport almost as triumphant as victories. They deserve their place in any highlights reel as much as the great victories. And 2023 delivered many riveting moments and memories. From Ireland’s rugby team’s march to Grand Slam victory in Dublin to Katie Taylor’s epic fights against Chantelle Cameron, the year has delivered sport at its very best.
New Irish citizens: ‘I hear the racist and xenophobic slurs on the streets. Everything is blamed on immigrants’
Jack Reynor: ‘We were in two minds between eloping or going the whole hog but we got married in Wicklow with about 220 people’
‘I could have gone to California. At this rate, I probably would have raised about half a billion dollars’
Ballsbridge mews formerly home to Irish musician for €1.95m
Unfortunately, the sporting news was often dominated by squalid rows over money, the growing issue of sportswashing and the laissez faire attitude by some governing bodies to the critical area of concussion. While 2024 will bring more of the same, it still holds out hope that great events like the Paris Olympics and European soccer championships will win headlines for the right reasons.
And it is refreshing that Ireland’s best medal hopes in Paris may rest in two unlikely sports – gymnastics and swimming – as Rhys McClenaghan and Daniel Wiffen aim for gold.