Year Ender: Why 2024 will be a year to remember

Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich. [AFP]

Jurgen Klopp bid farewell to Liverpool, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray drew the curtain on their careers as Jannik Sinner and Scottie Scheffler endured the highs and lows of success.

AFP Sport looks back at some of the top stories outside the Olympics that made the headlines in 2024.

Chepngetich obliterates world marathon record

Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich obliterated the women’s world record by almost two minutes when she won October’s Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56.

The 30-year-old broke the previous world record of 2:11:53 set by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa last year in Berlin.

Chepngetich, who also won in Chicago in 2021 and 2022, dedicated her latest victory to Kelvin Kiptum, who set the men’s world record at last year’s race just four months before he died in a car accident at the age of 24.

Clouds for Sinner, Swiatek despite Slams

Jannik Sinner captured the Australian Open and US Open, became world number one, claimed the ATP Tour Finals and led Italy to a successful defence of the Davis Cup.

However, the 23-year-old’s immediate future in the sport remains under a cloud in a doping test controversy.

Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing after traces of the steroid clostebol were found in his system in March, the world anti-doping body WADA is demanding a suspension of one to two years.

Later in November, it was revealed that five-time major winner Iga Swiatek had accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ).

Nadal and Murray call it quits

Rafael Nadal called it quits on a career which brought him 22 Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and four Davis Cup crowns.

On top of that, the 38-year-old, who fought out epic battles with rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, won praise for his humility on and off the court.

Murray, a three-time major winner who famously ended Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s Wimbledon champion in 2013, and like Nadal plagued by injuries in recent years, also called time on his career.

However, the 37-year-old ended the year by agreeing to coach Djokovic in 2025.

Scheffler success on course, trouble off it

Golf world number one Scottie Scheffler enjoyed a magnificent season, becoming the first player to win seven PGA Tour titles, including his second Masters victory, in a year since Tiger Woods in 2007.

The American also won Olympic gold in Paris.

However, the most remarkable moment of Scheffler’s year came at the PGA Championship in May at Valhalla when he was arrested outside the course and charged with several misdemeanours and for assaulting a police officer.

Klopp says farewell to Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp shocked the football world in January by announcing his plan to leave Liverpool at the end of the season because he was “running out of energy”.

The German, who arrived at the club in October 2015, won seven major trophies at Liverpool, including the club’s first league title for 30 years and the 2019 Champions League.

He also lifted the FA Cup and won two League Cups in his spell at Anfield.

“People say I turned them from doubters into believers. That’s not true. You did it. Nobody tells you to stop believing,” Klopp said as he addressed the crowd after a 2-0 win over Wolves on the final day.

Spain taste glory at Euro 2024

A youthful Spain side lit up an otherwise uninspiring European Championship as they claimed a record fourth Euros title in 2024.

Despite a Nations League triumph in 2023, few counted Spain among the pre-tournament favourites but they emerged worthy winners, beating holders Italy, hosts Germany, 2018 World Cup winners France and England on their way to glory in Berlin.

Luis de la Fuente’s team was spearheaded by teenager Lamine Yamal, who at 16 became the youngest-ever scorer in the tournament’s history with a sumptuous long-distance curling effort in the semi-final win against France, and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

Mahuchikh breaks 37-year-old high jump mark

Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the 37-year-old women’s world record at Paris in July with a jump of 2.10 metres before going on to become Olympic champion in the French capital a few weeks later.

But her thoughts were never far from the war with Russia which has raged for almost three years.

Mahuchikh has helped fund wheelchairs for disabled orphans and she donated her prize money from the Olympics “to our army and an animal shelter,” she told AFP.

Verstappen joins F1 greats after season turmoil

Max Verstappen became just the sixth man to win four Formula One world titles after a season of drama and controversy for him and his Red Bull team on and off the track.

There was speculation Verstappen could move to Mercedes to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton next year after Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate conduct towards a woman colleague.

Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing ahead of the season-opener in Bahrain but the off-track scandal rumbled on for weeks.

Mbappe’s dream stalls

French superstar Kylian Mbappe completed a transfer that had been years in the making when he signed for Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain. He was unveiled at the Spanish club’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium in front of 80,000 fans in July and declared that his “dream has come true”.

However, the 25-year-old endured a difficult start to life at his new club, struggling to fit into a team that were Spanish and European champions last season and in which Brazilian star Vinicius Junior was already playing in Mbappe’s favoured position on the left of the attack.