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ShareMumbai: Despite 2009 not being an Olympics or football World Cup year, the past month has been one of the most fascinating in the history of sports. Among the notable events, world records have tumbled in swimming and Lance Armstrong has again inspired millions with his superhuman efforts in the Tour de France.
However, the most striking feature of this period has been the return of the Michaels to the centrestage. Schumacher, Owen, Phelps and Clarke have again captivated sports lovers all over the world with their performance and their determination of returning to the competitive world of sports by defying odds.
At the beginning of July, Michael Owen shocked the world of football by joining Manchester United. The England striker, whose career had been in the doldrums because of injuries, was provided a lifeline by Alex Fergusson. That Owen had an important role to play was clear after he was handed the No 7 jersey previously worn by United stars Ronaldo, Beckham and Cantona.
In cricket, Michael Clarke has been a revelation for an off-colour Australian side. Clarke, who had struggled for form in the Test series against South Africa, launched a ferocious counter-attack against England in the second Ashes Test and almost pulled off an impossible win with a brilliant hundred. Though Australia lost, Clarke held his head high. In the third Test as well, the middle-order batsman came up with yet another stunning hundred in Australia's second innings. This time, his knock of unbeaten 103 helped Australia save the match.
Though Michael Phelps had nothing to prove to anyone, he had a lot at stake at the world swimming championships in Rome. Phelps had been on a downslide as far as his personal life was concerned. In early 2009, the swimming sensation admitted having smoked marijuana and his image took a beating. In Rome, he had an inauspicious beginning, losing the 200m free final to Paul Biedermann. However, like a true champion, Phelps bounced back by clinching five gold medals.
Perhaps, the most stunning event in the world of sports has been the comeback of seven time F1 champion Michael Schumacher. A horrific accident to Felipe Massa at the Hungarian GP resulted in Ferrari approaching the German to fill in Massa's shoes.
Though he had retired three years ago, Schumacher accepted the invitation and showed he still has plenty of fire left in him. A fitness freak, it hasn't taken him long to adjust to the gruelling demands of F1 as he showed it during a practice session this week.
