Gerard Whateley's 10 most significant sporting moments of 2024 - and the two least significant

It was a year dominated by the Olympic Games – the resurgence of the event itself magnificently staged in Paris and Australia’s soaring triumphs.

It was complimented splendidly by events domestic and international along with incidents you could never have imagined.

So the bar is high to find a place on this list. And it comes with the annual rider… this is my list!

You should make your own. It’s fun and it saves you getting angry with me!

So treat this as a conversation starter rather than a definitive order.

1. Australia’s triumphs in Paris

It wouldn’t be fair to separate these out in the most successful Games of all. A record 18 gold, 53 medals and fourth place on the table of nations.

Each day it seemed we were recounting the records that were falling and the Olympic icons of the past that were being eclipsed.

The bedrock of every Australian campaign is the pool. Arianne Titmus reprised her victory over the great Katie Ledecky in the 400 freestyle. Then stablemate Molly O’Callaghan snatched the crown in the 200 freestyle.

Kaylee McKeown completed the backstroke double at consecutive Games and set a new mark with four individual gold medals and Emma McKeon rounded out our greatest ever medal collection in the 4x100m relay team and stood at the closing ceremony in the company of history’s great Olympians.

From BMX to skateboarding to road cycling and sailing, from teenagers to veterans - and the pinnacle achievements weren’t just gold.

I’d argue all day long the best medal won was Jess Hull’s silver in the 1500 at the track… putting her in the company of Edwin Flak, Herb Elliott and John Landy.

And neither is this to miss the Paralympics where a further 18 gold were won among 63 medals.

Alexa Leary and her Dad Russ captured our hearts. If you had to pick how the Paris Games will be remembered for Australia it would come in the form of the Fox’s.

Jess Fox took all the chances. She was the first face we saw on Nine’s coverage of the Games… she narrated the opening sequences.

She then carried the flag in the rain drenched boats up the River Siene the night before competition began.

Then she delivered double gold… in the most clutch performances you’d ever see.

She did it with mum and coach racing down the banks at the side of the course and dad commentating for us back home. Jess Fox was bound to be the star of the Games.

Until her little sister Noemie grabbed her moment! When she won gold in the kayak cross and Jess leapt in the water followed by mum… well that was the moment that will always define Paris.

It was recognized with the Don Award as the moment that most inspired a nation in 2024… and that feels about right.

2. The Paris Olympics

This was staging the Games needed - at least the equal of Sydney and London. The city itself was magnificent. None has showcased its iconic landmarks quite so well.

It was said never has an Olympic city looked more beautiful or divine. The beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower was genius. The fencing in the Grand Palais unforgettable.

Spectators were drawn from every corner of the globe and restored so much of what has made the Games great. The global audience was estimated at more than 80 per cent of the world’s population.

And the sport was at its very best. Novak Djokovic won his illusive gold medal and declared it the highlight of his career, Scott Scheffler wept as he stood atop the podium, LeBron James and Steph Curry wore their medals for days afterwards, Simone Biles completed her redemption story.

The local hero was Leon Marchand who accomplished feats rarely attempted in the pool.

To witness the crowd reaction to him and be present for his first of four gold medals and the accompanying anthem was to feel the pride of an entire nation.

The heartbeat of an Olympics is track and field and the highlights were endless.

Mondo Duplantis seemed to deliberately wait until all other activities were completed before his final attempt at a world record in the pole vault.

No one had left… the crowd rose to the Swede as he charged down the runway and soared into the night sky. And then the stands erupted.

The men’s 1500 was an upset for the ages… Sydney McLachlin-Levrone seemed to fly rather than jump to her hurdles world record. The women’s marathon climaxed with a shunt on the final bend. And the men’s 100-metre final was like no race we’d ever seen. All eight competitors broke 10 seconds.

The margin of victory was the narrowest ever… the equivalent of a flap of a honeybee’s wings…. One 20th the blink of an eye.

And Noah Lyles prevailed… the man who’d taken the chance to front athletics and drive it to seize the mainstream. When you think about it… it was probably the greatest Olympics of all.

3. The Brisbane Lions AFL premiership

The Grand Final might have been an anticlimax given the thrilling and volatile nature of the season as a whole but the Brisbane Lions finals series has claims to being the greatest four-week campaign of all.

The Lions came from outside the top four, played three consecutive weeks on the road, overcame significant deficits twice and then trounced the season’s best team to win the flag.

Through the first half of the season Chris Fagan was dealing with a team that couldn’t recapture the dynamism that saw them narrowly defeated in one of the great Grand Finals.

They were slow out of the blocks, gripped by long-term injury and felt like the toll of contending for so long had caught up with them.

From 13th at the bye Fagan encouraged his team to embrace the adversity and dance on the thin ice.

They got rolling but still managed to trip themselves up with the double chance in their grasp.

Few premiers have had to hunt as tenaciously and persistently over such a long period to succeed.

In the Elimination Final at home they held Carlton scoreless for an hour.

They fell 44 points behind the Giants in an away Semi Final - conjuring the equal biggest comeback in memory to progress.

They trailed an MCG Preliminary Final by 25 points and again fell behind with two and a half minutes to play.

But when they arrived back at the Grand Final that had broken their hearts a year earlier, they turned on a tour de force.

In doing so they redefined what’s possible through the course of a marathon season and in a grueling September quest.

And Chris Fagan rewrote the history of coaching. The Brisbane Lions spent the whole season chasing and on the last day won running away.

4. Penrith’s fourth straight NRL Premiership

This will rightly be higher in the rugby league states. Three Premierships is a dynasty. Four straight is an empire.

In a different world the St George Dragons won 11 consecutive titles from the mid 50s. In Aussie Rules Collingwood has the four premierships in a row in the late 20s.

The Panthers miracle last year saw them become the first team of the NRL era to win three… a dour victory over Melbourne Storm furthered that to four.

It drew the full gamut of superlatives… from an achievement that will not be seen again to the best team long-time observers have ever seen.

5. The spectacles Pride of Jenni and Via Sistina

Let me take them one at a time.

Bold front runners and tearaway leaders hold a special place in the folklore of the turf. Vo Rogue being the quintessential comparison point.

Pride of Jenni took on that guise through the Spring Carnival of 2023 to become the country’s most popular horse. A trend that magnified through the autumn.

Her races were hold-on-to-your-hat affairs that thrilled and delighted… and were must-watch.

But the events of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in April were like something out of a dream.

At one point Pride of Jenni was 100 metres in front of the best weigh-for-age horses in the country… a spectacle few could ever recall previously.

It felt too extreme… sheer madness. Until you realized she wasn’t to be caught.

It was instantly hailed the run of the century and it was hard to argue against the sentiment.

The race crossed over into the sporting mainstream and created global interest.

There was bitter criticism that rival jockeys completely lost their bearings and allowed the lead to grow to ludicrous extremes.

And it propelled Pride of Jenni to Horse of the Year honors.

Amazingly there’s a pairing for spectacular and outlandish victories in 2024.

Via Sistina was the runner up to Jenni that day in April. Her moment came in the Cox Plate.

A rare masterpiece to rank alongside Dulcify winning by a minute, Sunline the best in the world and the Winx Blitz.

There had never been a bigger margin in the weight-for-age showpiece and the Moonee Valley track record was obliterated in a race that was simply astonishing.

Not only the visual spectacle of a race won with an annihilating move at the school… but add in the drama of the week.

The horse that dropped the jockey and bolted, freewheeling around two circuits of the Valley at the ceremonial breakfast… free wheeled and bolted in the championship race, the jockey so exuberant in his celebration that you feared he might fall off again!

It was all instantly enshrined in folklore. The genius of Chris Waller – master trainer, horse psychologist, coach.

The accomplishment of James McDonald – living the mantra of Shane Warne to produce the most spectacular to bring up the milestone.. his 100th group 1.

And the ascension to Via Sistina to legend.

6. Scott Scheffler’s arrest at the US PGA Championship

A moment that could never have been envisaged.

The World Number 1 was so hot through the first portion of the season - which included victory at the Masters - that people were openly pondering how on earth he could be stopped.

Jeffersen County Police saw to that in the early hours of Friday morning outside the Valhalla Golf Club.

A dispute over a roadblock was captured by an ESPN journalist and Scheffler’s arrest was dramatically posted for the world to see in near real time.

Scheffler watched from his jail cell as debate raged about the incident and whether he would be released to make his tee time.

He was charged by the Sherriff’s Department before shooting a 5 under 66.

Bizarre didn’t do it justice – one of those impossible to understand US police incidents.

Scheffler fell out of contention across the weekend at Valhalla.

And the charges were subsequently dropped. In what was one of the most dramatic episodes a golf major had ever witnessed.

7. Jack Jumpers win the NBL title

Tasmania did more than defend the island, they conquered the mainland.

The Jack Jumpers had to win the deciding game of the Semi Final series in Perth to qualify.

Then a gripping five-game NBL Finals against Melbourne United saw the Jack Jumpers prevail twice on Melbourne’s home court.

The highlight of which was Jack McVeigh’s game winner from near half court at the climax of game 3.

I was in John Cain Arena that afternoon. It’s one of the most stunning conclusions to a sporting contest I’ve ever witnessed. Tassie’s timing has proven perfect.

Through a time when the state has been striving for inclusion in the AFL, the Jack Jumpers have been living proof of the sporting culture of Tasmania, the passion their own team can invoke, the capacity for a start-up to be immediately competitive and that the smallest state can win the biggest national crown.

Tasmania’s domestic cricket victories were long held up as touchstones of what was possible… that is now the place of the Jack Jumpers.

8. New Zealand’s sweep of India in India

It’s a result so far out there as to be almost nonsensical.

It came during a phase when New Zealand was winning everything from the America’s Cup to netball’s Constellation Cup and the women’s T20 World Cup.

But this stood above. India hadn’t lost a series at home since 2012.

That was chastening enough. India had never been swept at home. That was just humiliating.

In the third Test, India failed to run down 147… bowled out inside 30 overs.

It was only the 10th time in Test history dating back to 1896 that a touring team had swept the hosts.

Australia has done it three times – In 2000 against New Zealand, 2004 in Sri Lanka and 2006 in South Africa.

Australia hasn’t won a series in India since 2004. It was at once possible to be full of admiration for New Zealand and wretchedly jealous of what they achieved.

The heroes were Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips. It was all to be marveled at rather than understood.

9. Oscar Piastri, Gout Gout and the portend of things to come

Oscar Piastri’s first Grand Prix victory and Gout Gout’s breaking of our oldest national track record. Significant in the moment - a portend of the future.

Piastri is in rare and select company for an Australian driver. Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, Mark Webber and Daniel Riccardo.

Brabham is the torch bearer with 14 race wins and three world championships. At 23 years of age when he saw his first chequered flag… I’m on Piastri to eclipse the 14 threshold.

His maiden victory came in Hungary and spoke to the brilliant progression he’d made throughout the season.

It was an achievement that was building despite being constantly entangled in team orders. As a casual observer of Formula 1 it’s possible to both understand the team priorities and resent them.

At Albert Park earlier in the year, McLaren told Piastri to move aside and let Orlando Norris pass rather than letting the local boy fight for the podium at home.

But team orders giveth and team orders taketh away. In Hungary Norris was salty when told to let Piastri pass for the win.

It looked for a short time like Norris would defy orders as he made his rather petulant point… you could imagine some pretty pointed conversations in the paddock.

It was all around preferential pit strategies and rectifying the order on the track… but when the Australian stood on the high step and sprayed his champagne a career milestone had been met.

Piastri will be for the next decade one of this country’s biggest sporting stars.

Gout Gout might prove the defining figure of the generation. The 16-year-old sprinter is the promise of what we’ve never had – a legitimate prospect for the blue ribband event at an Olympic Games.

Not since Hec Hogan in 1956 has Australia had a finalist in the 100-metre sprint.

The young Queenslander and his coach are unabashed in their ambition – double gold in Brisbane.

What a journey we will share together.

There’s a freakishness to Gout that already had him as a viral sensation but the substance came in December when he broke Peter Norman’s revered 200m record that had lasted for 56 years.

He has caught the eye of Usain Bolt and has the attention of every track observer around the world.

When he breaks 10 seconds for the 100 and 20 seconds for the 200 he will send a pulse of raw excitement through Australian sport.

10. Dustin Martin’s 300th game

This was about as pure as sport can be. A crowd that grew to dwarf all expectations to see a champion on his last great stage.

The secret to Dusty – alongside his sheer brilliance in the biggest moments – was he remained unknowable.

He stood like a rock star to be admired but never touched or understood.

It created a mystique that few have conjured. And the more out of reach he was, the more people wanted to be close to him.

June 15 was really unlike any day we’d experienced and defied most of what we accept in sport.

Dusty did nothing to promote his game and Richmond tried its best without the central voice.

But 92,311 fans were drawn by the aura. Merchandise sold out long before the full crowd had arrived.

Barbers were hired to shave the Dusty do for his devotees.

Like a rock concert the hordes wanted a taste of the greatest hits and to hear from their idol.

And like any star turned Dusty opened big and closed sentimental. He kicked a goal inside five minutes to make the day perfect and spoke to the crowd through Jack Riewoldt expressing his enduring love and gratitude.

Not even Taylor Swift played the MCG so perfectly.

__The Most Insignificant Significant Moments__

Raygun and Mike Tyson

This is the category for Raygun and the spectacle and phenomenon that followed.

I was in my hotel room in Paris watching the French coverage of the Games when Rachel Gunn fatefully competed in Breaking.

Understanding nothing that was going on, it was clear quickly that the addition of Breaking to an Olympics was a mistake - made worse by the fact it was being staged in broad daylight rather than a night club after dark.

Raygun’s routine was comically bizarre. Scoring zero felt like due recognition of the hilarity and ridiculousness.

In a simpler world this would have been the source of gentle ridicule and endless mirth.

Raygun would have become a footnote in Olympic history like the marathon runners administered poisons and alcohol to help them through their grueling challenges.

Instead it became a blazing controversy. There was no humour in the hate.

Raygun was hounded… and then cashed in. It ensured Gunn would be on the podium for recognition and opportunity post the Games. For a while I clung to the hope she was in on the joke.

She’d seized her moment in the spotlight so ludicrously as to set up her post-Games career and create her 15 minutes of fame.

I’ve never been able to grasp the conspiracy theories around her selection nor the world rankings that had her at number 1 and I can’t keep up with whether she’s retired or not.

And I frankly don’t care.

Lay Down Sally was the ultimate cautionary tale of what happens when an athlete doesn’t perform to the requisite standards at an Olympics.

I honestly don’t know the moral of the Raygun tale. But there’s no denying she became a touchstone in pop culture.

Her kangaroo hop reenacted on top-rating US comedy shows and even in an NFL team celebration.

It’s the worst kind of nonsense in our modern world and I doubt it has much to do with sport.

Raygun will always be linked to Australia at the Paris Games. And I’m resigned to the fact I’ll never understand it.

In the same genre of insignificant significant moments - It’s entirely possible the Mike Tyson / Jake Paul fight will end up the most watched sporting event of 2024.

And this is the absolute worst of sport in modern life. A confected event given life by a Netflix reality series, masquerading as sport.

If you’ve pilloried the WWE through your life as fake and yet watched the Tyson/Paul extravaganza then you really are a sucker.

I was late to this and only really became aware through my 12-year-old son and his mates… who to their credit, had largely lost interest either before or during the so-called bout.

I shamefully watched what was unfolding in horrified fascination. When Mike Tyson was introduced and started his walk to the ring… he looked old... He is old.

And when the fight started I’ve never heard a broadcast where the commentators were apologizing for what was unfolding in real time and wishing it were over.

It was as if everyone thought it was great idea until they actually got a look at it. And then realized how awful it really was. This is the freak show from the circus… not sport.

And if Mike Tyson was contractually prevented from throwing the upper cut… well this was a spectacular con.

At least the scripted entertainment products know what they are serving up. If Tyson/Paul is the future – or in any way repeated – then we’re all doomed.