Johnny Watterson looks back on some of the greatest sporting comebacks of the recent and not so recent past.
TENNIS: 2003 Australian Open: Serena Williams beat Kim Clijsters 4-6 6-3 7-5: If pressure is part of the equation in defining a great comeback, then Williams' fightback to set up a fourth consecutive Grand Slam final with big sister Venus will rank as good as any.
The world number one inexplicably found herself trailing in Melbourne, 5-1 adrift in the third set of her Australian Open semi-final against Belgian Kim Clijsters.
Clijsters, ranked four in the world, is no novice, but even two match points on serve with the score at 5-2 in the decider were not enough for the Belgian and she was unable to take either of them. Clijsters had a third opportunity to serve for the match in the 10th game, but fumbled and committed two double faults again to let Williams in. That was to be Clijsters' end as the American held and then broke serve, producing a string of winners to clinch a thrilling match.
RUGBY: 1999 World Cup semi-final: France 43, New Zealand 31: It was the World Cup semi-final at Twickenham in October 1999 and the mighty All Blacks were leading France by 14 points with just 36 minutes remaining, when the French scored an astonishing 33 points without reply.
At the heart of the French recovery was kicking outhalf Christophe Lamaison who, at 24-10, struck the first blow in the French revival with two drop goals. New Zealand, looked rattled, gave away two more penalties, which Lamaison, on his way to 28 points, converted to cut the gap to two points. The French then electrified the stadium when winger Christophe Dominici touched down under the posts. Richard Dourthe and Philippe Bernat-Salles added further tries to pull off the unthinkable.
OLYMPICS: 1972 10,000m final: Lasse Viren breaks world record: A virtually unknown 23-year-old policeman called Lasse Viren arrived at the Munich Olympics of 1972 and lined up in the first final of the games, the 10,000 metres. Running in fifth position Viren, without being interfered with, stumbled and fell.
Viren rose quickly and set about hauling back the group. The Finn overtook David Bedford with 600 metres to go, then picked off Miruts Yifter and Mario Haro and finally moved in front of the leader, Belgian Emile Puttemans. Covering the last two laps in 60.0 and 56.4 seconds, Viren's strength allowed him surge to the front to win the gold medal in 27:38.04 and break Ron Clarke's seven-year-old world record.
SNOOKER: 1985 World Championship final: Denis Taylor beat Steve Davis 18-17: Taylor, with his cherubic smile and oversized glasses, was an unlikely world champion. He entered the 1985 championship at the age of 36 and faced the most clinical player of his generation, Steve Davis, in the final.
When Davis made his first significant mistake of the match in the eighth frame it seemed almost irrelevant, as he had won the opening seven. Taylor at that stage was in danger of being humiliated. But he won the eighth and the revival began. The Irishman clawed his way back to 9-7 by the close of the evening session and all day Sunday the match hung in the balance. It reached 17-17 and went to the black in the deciding frame. Even then, both players' nerves forced missed pots, before Taylor finally found a corner pocket at 11.23 p.m.
GOLF: 1996 US Masters: Nick Faldo overhauls six-shot deficit: When Greg Norman went into the final round of the 1996 US Masters six shots ahead of Nick Faldo, few would have bet on the Englishman hauling him back for his third Masters title.
Typically, the unflappable and precise Faldo kept up the chase, and watched almost in sympathy as the Great White Shark lost his bite and collapsed in a flurry of bogeys.
Faldo's recovery really began at the ninth as Norman struck a wayward wedge and bogeyed, allowing Faldo to come within two shots. Norman then began to disintegrate and Faldo, despite the enormous pressure, continued to play immaculate golf for a stunning victory, shooting 67 to Norman's 78. He embraced the man who had beaten him by two strokes at the 1993 Open and murmured: "I don't know what to say."
HURLING: 1994 All-Ireland hurling final: Offaly 3-16, Limerick 2-13: With 10 minutes remaining and no rescue in sight Offaly were limping towards defeat against Limerick in the 1994 All Ireland hurling final. Limerick had led by six points at half time and looked comfortably in the driving seat until the closing five minutes when a sleeping Offaly suddenly came alive.
Johnny Dooley shaped up for a 20-metre free and his shot at goal bulged the net, cutting the lead to two points. Limerick were suddenly in disarray and quickly conceded another goal to Pat O'Connor. In a frantic last five minutes, Limerick gave up two goals and five points.
RACING: 1986 Cheltenham Gold Cup: Dawn Run wins: Jonjo O'Neill allowed Dawn Run to stride on at a strong gallop in the 1986 Cheltenham Gold Cup. The mare's 1984-85 season had been ravaged by injury and now she was aimed at the Gold Cup but her preparation was far from ideal.
Staying in contention, she fiddled her way over a couple of fences and coming up to the final three, four other horses were in contention - Wayward Lad, Forgive N' Forget, Run And Skip and Righthand Man. Dawn Run was under severe pressure and headed by three of the horses and about five lengths down. As Forgive N'Forget lost momentum, Wayward Lad took to the front with Dawn Run two lengths down with just 100 metres to run. But she doggedly fought on to pull a length clear at the line.
BOXING: 1974 World Heavyweight Title: Muhammad Ali beats George Foreman: Foreman's ferocity prompted the legendary broadcaster Howard Cosell to publicly express his fear for Ali's safety as the two fighters squared up in Zaire. Ali, at 32, was considered a remote bet to regain the world heavyweight championship.
Before the fight Ali reassured those around him he would be too fast and too slick for Foreman. It didn't turn out that way and no one will ever know whether this was ever his plan or whether he had always intended to wear down the giant Foreman by using his own body as a punchbag until the champion could punch no more.
As the rounds wore on, Foreman became increasingly tired until the eighth when, apparently trapped in a neutral corner, Ali began to throw his right hand at an unprotected Foreman. Perhaps three connected, before Ali turned his man and fired a straight right hand at Foreman's jaw, which sent the champion sprawling.
CRICKET: 1981 Ashes series: Ian Botham turns tables on Australia: On the Sunday evening of the Headingley Test of 1981, Botham had told his wife Kath that he would be checking out of his Leeds hotel the following morning and be home that afternoon. England needed another 92 runs to make Australia bat again: at 135 for 7, the match and the Ashes looked like a lost cause.
What happened over the next 24 hours would change the course of the match and the series. Botham (right), who had just lost the captaincy, proceeded to smash 149 off 148 balls with 27 boundaries and a six in an outrageous demonstration of power and aggression. Australia were bowled out for 112 as England won by 18 runs.
