Top Sports Highlights of 2022

Louisiana State faced long odds of winning when it met top-ranked Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game. But when a pass ricocheted off a Tiger’s helmet to give Georgia an interception — not long after Georgia returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown on another heads-up play — the showdown seemed more like a showcase of the wacky.

— Alan Blinder

Nils van der Poel saves his best for last.

Distance speedskating is not a sport of moments. It is a sport of endurance, that pushes the human body toward, or over, the red line, and keeps it there as long as possible.

Nobody in the world can do that better than Nils van der Poel.

With three laps remaining in the men’s 5,000-meter race at the Winter Olympics, van der Poel trailed Patrick Roest by more than two seconds. The gap seemed to be insurmountable. The television commentators wondered if van der Poel could place third.

But while Roest’s final three laps were his three slowest, van der Poel’s were three of his fastest. He held on, and then accelerated, taking Olympic gold, and an Olympic record in the process.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/sports/best-sports-highlights-2022.html