Who said what this year — a selection of the best sporting quotes of the year:
SOCCER
“Crisis, what is a crisis? We are not in a crisis. We are only in some difficulties and these will be solved.”
— FIFA president Sepp Blatter amid allegations of corruption engulfing soccer’s governing body.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
“Aren’t you the one who screwed me over last time? Don’t even look at me. If I see you in the corridor don’t even walk past me ... a code violation for expressing my opinion, we’re in America ... you’re unattractive inside ...”
— Serena Williams after being handed a code violation by umpire Eva Asderaki during her US Open final defeat to Samantha Stosur.
MEN’S TENNIS
“I had an unbelievable year. -Nothing can really ruin that. I will always remember this year as the best of my life.”
— Novak Djokovic on winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the US Open and five Masters events, as well as replacing Rafael Nadal as world No. 1.
GOLF
“It was my aim to shove it right up that black asshole.”
— Tiger Woods’s former caddie and confidant Steve Williams, celebrating a win with new charge Adam Scott months after the former world No. 1 had fired him.
CRICKET
“This is ridiculous. Damn. World Cup with so much security and this happens. Big joke. Trust me I am not keen here. Every player lay flat. This is some bullshit ... Bangladesh stoning our bus!!! Freaking glass Break!!! This is crap, can’t believe ... what next, bullets!!!!”
— West Indies batsman Chris Gayle on Twitter after the team bus was stoned in Dhaka.
RUGBY UNION
“I was down the Waikato River whitebaiting. I think Ted [coach Graham Henry] had missed me a couple of times and then I finally got a call from Milsy [Mils Muliaina] and he said: ‘Start answering your phone, you idiot.’ So that was sort of the message I needed.”
— Kiwi fly-half Stephen Donald after getting a surprise call-up to replace injured Colin Slade in the World Cup.
FIGURE SKATING
“I didn’t just skate for myself. In Japan we’re having a really hard time right now. Skating is really important there and so many people are watching the competition.”
— Miki Ando after winning women’s gold at the world -championships which were moved to Moscow from Tokyo after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
FORMULA ONE
“I think Europe is finished. It will be a good place for tourism but little else. Europe is a thing of the past.”
— F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone on Europe’s future as a top motor racing destination.
NBA
“I feel like my kids on X-mas day! So juiced!!”
— Miami Heat star LeBron James tweeted after hearing that a tentative deal had been reached to end the NBA’s lockout and play a shortened season starting on Christmas Day.
ICE HOCKEY
“They’re destroying the city.”
— A distraught resident as rioting fans torched cars and smashed buildings in Vancouver after the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup 4-0 over the Canucks.
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WORLD CUP
“I truly believe that something bigger was pulling for this team.”
— Stunned US goalkeeper Hope Solo on the determination shown by the Japanese in the wake of the tsumami disaster, which saw the Asians rally twice with late equalizers to beat the US 3-1 on penalties in the July 17 final.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
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