6. Chapecoense: The team that died on their way to glory
On November 28, 2016, the sporting world, was greeted with the news that a charter flight carrying Brazilian football team, Chapecoense had crashed in Medellin, Colombia.
It was a sad day, as the team were on their way to play the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final, against Colombian side, Atlético Nacional.
The crash left, all but 6 of the 77 passengers died; only three Chapecoense players survived their injuries.
Following the crash, Atlético Nacional made a request to the governing body of the competition, CONMEBOL, that Chapecoense be awarded the trophy. CONMEBOL awarded Chapecoense the trophy on December 5, and Atlético Nacional received the Centennial Fair Play Award for their gesture.
7. The “greatest”, Muhammad Ali passes on
On June 3, 2016, boxing legend Muhammad Ali breathed his last after a 32-year fight with Parkinson’s disease.
Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942, Muhammad Ali became an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 and the world championship in 1964.
Often referring to himself as “the greatest,” Ali was not afraid to sing his own praises. He was known to “win” fights before stepping into the ring with his words.
Politicians such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, David Cameron and more paid tribute to Ali. He also received numerous tributes from the world of sports including Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson, LeBron James, Steph Curry and more.
Ali died, aged 74 and was buried on June 10, 2016, at Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky, United States.
The pallbearers included Will Smith, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, with honorary pallbearers including George Chuvalo, Larry Holmes and George Foreman.
8. Nigerian Paralympics team
After the country could only secure a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Nigerians set their sight on the Paralympics team to make the nation proud.
And they indeed made us proud.
The team shattered record after record, as they won 12 medals, eight of which were gold, to emerge 17th on the overall medal table, and the first in Africa.
9. Shaunae Miller dives for 400m gold
Bahamas sprinter, Shaunae Miller did the unimaginable to claim the gold medal at the 400m race in Rio 2016.
On August 16, 2016, in a thrilling finish to the race, Miller took a dive at the finish line to beat Allyson Felix to gold, denying the American sprinter, a fifth Olympic gold medal.
Miller’s action was frowned upon by many, the world over, but she was handed gold, as her dive was not against the rules of the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF).
10. Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning featured in his last game in the National Footbal League (NFL), as he led Denver Broncos to victory at Super Bowl 50.
On February 7, 2016, Manning, 40, who was has played for 18 seasons in the NFL, became the oldest starting quarterback to both play in and win a Super Bowl.
He finished the game 13 of 23 for 141 yards with one interception, as the Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50 as the Broncos’ defense shut down the heavily-favored Panthers’ top-ranked offense and regular season MVP Cam Newton.
Manning is a two-time Super Bowl winner and the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLI. He is also the only quarterback to start the Super Bowl for two different franchises more than once each and the only starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises.
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