Brits will reflect on 2012 as one of the most memorable years in UK sporting history. The denouement of the Premier League, in which Manchester City won the title on goal difference with two injury time goals, proved only a taster for the drama that was to unfold. Chelsea secured the Champions League just days later, beating Bayern Munich in Germany on penalties, marking an unlikely victory for the west London team.
Andy Murray became Britain's first men to win a Grand Slam in 76 years
Rory McIlroy followed soon after with victory in the PGA Championship, securing one of the four Masters for Britain. Bradley Wiggins then became the first Brit ever to win the Tour de France, a feat that, combined with gold in the Olympics, makes him a likely winner of the Sports Personality of the Year award.
The cyclist faces tough competition from several other Olympians who triumphed at London 2012, most notably Mo Farah who won the 5,000m and 10,000m events, a first for a Brit. Jess Ennis, Ben Ainslie, and Andy Murray also secured Gold medals, with the Scot following up his final place at Wimbledon and Olympic gold with victory at Flushing Meadows, becoming the first British man to win a grand slam in 76 years.
Bradley Wiggins (yellow) on course for victory in the Tour de France
In between Ellie Simmonds and David Weir capped a spectacular outing for Britain in the Paralympics, winning a raft of medals in their respective events, meaning Team GB finished third in both the Olympics and Paralympics.
The only failure, it seems, originated from the football and the cricket, with England losing their number one ranking after defeat to South Africa at the crease, while Roy Hodgson’s England struggled through to the quarterfinals in Euro 2012.
Still, there’s no doubting that 2012 has been a marquee year for sport in the UK. As David Cameron opined during Monday’s Champions parade: "This is the great British summer that will be remembered in hundreds of years to come."
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