Veterans fill 2021 sports year with memorable moments

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports Writer

Not adjacent Father Time could get 1 implicit connected Tom Brady.

Cementing his statement arsenic the NFL’s top quarterback, Brady switched teams and kept winning, starring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-9 triumph implicit the Kansas City Chiefs successful Super Bowl 55.

Brady’s seventh Super Bowl title, astatine property 43 nary less, was 1 of the champion moments of 2021, erstwhile a continuing pandemic could not dim the brightest of stars of the sports world.

“It’s hands down 1 of the top accomplishments successful sports history,” said Buccaneers choky extremity Rob Gronkowski, lured retired of status by Brady to articulation him successful Tampa Bay.

Brady wasn’t the lone seasoned jock to bargain the spotlight successful 2021, the twelvemonth of the mature.

Phil Mickelson gave the silver-haired acceptable a thrill, becoming the oldest large champion successful play past by winning the PGA Championship astatine 50. Lefty near immoderate of the world’s champion – and younger – golfers successful his aftermath astatine Kiawah Island, winning his sixth large title astatine an property erstwhile galore players are looking to determination up a tee box.

“There’s nary crushed wherefore I oregon anybody other can’t bash it astatine a aboriginal age,” Mickelson said. ”It conscionable takes a small much work.”

Mickelson’s infinitesimal capped an unforgettable play play that included Hideki Matsuyama becoming the archetypal Asian-born subordinate to triumph the Masters, Jon Rahm curling successful a birdie putt connected No. 18 astatine Torrey Pines to triumph the U.S. Open and the United States’ dominating triumph successful the Ryder Cup.

Tiger Woods capped the twelvemonth by reeling disconnected 11 consecutive birdies with his 12-year-old son, Charlie, successful the last circular of the PNC Championship – 10 months aft shattering his close limb successful a car crash.

The Milwaukee Bucks veered backmost connected people down Giannis Antetokounmpo, winning their archetypal NBA rubric successful 50 years by outlasting the astonishing Phoenix Suns successful six games. The Atlanta Braves exercised a fewer demons of their own, beating the Houston Astros successful six games for their archetypal World Series rubric since 1995.

The Tampa Bay Lightning won their 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup rubric – this 1 extracurricular the NHL’s playoff bubble.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were held a twelvemonth precocious but, arsenic always, produced immoderate unforgettable moments.

Texas-born Italian sprinter Marcell Jacobs shocked the satellite by winning the men’s 100 meters, putting his improbable sanction among the sport’s greats: Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt.

Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah electrified the assemblage by breaking Florence Griffith Joyner’s 33-year-old 100-meter grounds and had the second-fastest clip ever to triumph the 200 meters.

American gymnast Simone Biles bowed retired of 4 finals portion battling “the twisties,” but overcame the intelligence artifact to instrumentality bronze successful the equilibrium beam, regaining a portion of herself successful the process. Sunisa Lee filled successful nicely for the gymnast wide considered the top successful history, becoming the 5th consecutive American pistillate to triumph the all-around title.

Helio Castroneves turned backmost the timepiece astatine 46, becoming the 4th four-time Indianapolis 500 champion by schooling 1 of the sport’s hottest young stars. IndyCar’s “Spiderman” passed 24-year-old Alex Palou with 2 laps remaining and the vigor from the assemblage pushed him to the decorativeness enactment – and 16 feet up the obstruction astatine Indianapolis Motor Speedway successful a acquainted celebration.

“I person the spot of a spider; I indispensable person been bitten by a spider,” Castroneves said. “There was truthful overmuch emotion, truthful overmuch passion. I saw fans crying. I was crying. I was going to ascent and ascent and ascent and bask that infinitesimal with them.”

Candace Parker knows the feeling.

The seasoned WNBA subordinate returned location to Chicago aft 13 seasons with the L.A. Sparks, starring the Sky implicit the Phoenix Mercury for their archetypal title.

“To bash it present astatine home, it was conscionable expected to be,” Parker said aft a tearful hug with her family.

Two seasoned assemblage coaches proved they’re inactive astatine the apical of their game.

Nick Saban gave the assemblage shot play different predictable finish, starring Alabama to its sixth nationalist title successful 12 years with a 52-24 thrashing of Ohio State successful the rubric game.

Stanford women’s hoops manager Tara VanDerveer won her archetypal nationalist title successful 29 years, overcoming a astir 10-week stint connected the roadworthy due to the fact that of the coronavirus and a last-second changeable by Arizona’s Aari McDonald. The 54-53 triumph gave the 67-year-old VanDerveer her 3rd nationalist rubric successful 35 years astatine Stanford, on with the ones she won successful 1990 and 1992.

“This is conscionable an grant to beryllium capable to bash this for her and with her,” Stanford sophomore Haley Jones said.

The Cardinal’s triumph came a time aft 1 of the top games successful men’s Final Four history, erstwhile Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs banked successful a moving 3-pointer astatine the buzzer to bushed UCLA. Gonzaga’s bid for the archetypal undefeated play since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers ended successful the rubric game, though, wherever Baylor pushed the Zags astir to triumph its archetypal nationalist rubric with an 86-70 runaway.

Even during a pandemic, the stars of the sports satellite recovered a mode to radiance – nary substance their age.