Express & Star

The sporting year in pictures

Olympic golds, league titles and emotional farewells provided some of 2024’s defining images.

By contributor By PA Sport Staff
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Keely Hodgkinson dons a crown and holds a Union Jack after winning Olympic gold
Team GB’s Keely Hodgkinson was one of the stars of Paris 2024 after winning 800 metres gold (Peter Byrne/PA)

Another eventful year in sport saw Manchester City crowned Premier League champions while Emma Hayes signed off in style as Chelsea boss with a fifth successive Women’s Super League title.

England finished as runners-up at the European Championship and Team GB earned 65 medals at this summer’s Olympics in Paris.

Here the PA news agency takes a look at some of the best images from this year’s sporting action.

Luke Littler with outstretched arms next to the World Championship trophy
Luke Littler in action against Luke Humphries at the World Championship final. The 16-year-old’s incredible debut at Alexandra Palace ended in defeat as Humphries secured a 7-4 victory (Zac Goodwin/PA)
Jurgen Klopp lifting the Carabao Cup
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp lifting the Carabao Cup in February after his side beat Chelsea 1-0. The victory came nearly a month after Klopp announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season (Nick Potts/PA)
I Am Maximus racing at the Grand National
I Am Maximus, ridden by Paul Townend, on the way to winning the Randox Grand National at Aintree in April (Mike Egerton/PA)
Kyren Wilson celebrates his World Championship win as his children sit on the table throwing confetti
Kyren Wilson celebrates with children Finley, right, and Bailey after winning the World Snooker Championship (Mike Egerton/PA)
Oleksandr Usyk, left, punching Tyson Fury
Oleksandr Usyk, left, lands a punch on Tyson Fury. Usyk became undisputed world heavyweight champion after a split points victory over Fury (Nick Potts/PA)
Emma Hayes and Millie Bright celebrating with the WSL trophy
Emma Hayes signed off as Chelsea boss in style as her side claimed a fifth successive Women’s Super League title with a 6-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford. Hayes had announced in November 2023 that she would be stepping down at the end of the season (Martin Rickett/PA)
Manchester City players celebrating their title success with a parade
Manchester City players and fans celebrate the club’s fourth straight Premier League title (Richard Sellers/PA)
Jurgen Klopp, second left, and his coaching staff bid farewell to the Liverpool fans
Klopp, second left, said goodbye with a final set of Anfield fist-pumps (Peter Byrne/PA)
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti celebrating
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti celebrates with his team after they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the Champions League final at Wembley (Mike Egerton/PA)
Rob Burrow tribute on screen at the Challenge Cup final
Tributes were paid to Rob Burrow during June’s Challenge Cup final. Burrow died on June 2 at the age of 41 after a lengthy battle with motor neurone disease (John Walton/PA)
John McGinn dancing
John McGinn, centre, joins in with a traditional dance following the Scotland team’s arrival at Bayernhalle in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, for a reception hosted by the Mayor ahead of Euro 2024 (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Jude Bellingham scoring an overhead kick
Jude Bellingham scored an incredible overhead kick in stoppage time to help England fight back for a 2-1 win over Slovakia after extra time in their last-16 meeting at Euro 2024 (Adam Davy/PA)
Lewis Hamilton is sprayed with champagne while celebrating his British Grand Prix win
Lewis Hamilton ended his mammoth 945-day losing streak to take an emotional win at the British Grand Prix (David Davies/PA)
Carlos Alcaraz celebrating his Wimbledon title
Carlos Alcaraz won the men’s Wimbledon singles title for the second successive year after beating Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-2 7-6 (4) (Aaron Chown/PA)
Gareth Southgate walking past the Euro 2024 trophy
England manager Gareth Southgate walks past the European Championship trophy after his side were beaten 2-1 by Spain in the final. Southgate stood down from the role two days later (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Simone Biles upside down as she somersaults on the balance beam
Paris 2024 saw the return of Simone Biles. The gymnast took a hat-trick of golds and one silver medal in the French capital (Mike Egerton/PA)
Noah Williams, right, kissing Tom Daley on the cheek
Great Britain’s Noah Williams kisses Tom Daley after the pair won silver in the men’s synchronised 10m platform final. Paris was Daley’s fifth Games since making his debut at Beijing 2008 and he announced his retirement from diving after arriving back in the UK post-Olympics (Mike Egerton/PA)
Andy Murray and Dan Evans celebrate identically by punching the air with both hands
Andy Murray and Dan Evans celebrate after winning their second round doubles match. The pair would bow out of the competition in the quarter-finals in what was Murray’s final match of his professional career (Martin Rickett/PA)
Lightning striking near the Eiffel Tower
Lightning strikes near the Eiffel Tower, ahead of the start of men’s 20km race walk (David Davies/PA)
Julien Alfred winning gold
Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred won the women’s 100m after storming across the line in 10.72 seconds (Mike Egerton/PA)
Noah Lyles wrapped in the flag of the United States
Noah Lyles claimed gold in the men’s 100m, winning with a margin of just five thousandths of a second (Mike Egerton/PA)
Keely Hodgkinson celebrates as she crosses the finishing line for her Olympic 800m win
Keely Hodgkinson celebrates her Olympic 800m win (Martin Rickett/PA)
Katy Marchant, Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell, left to right, with their gold medals
Great Britain’s Katy Marchant, Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell, left to right, celebrate after winning gold in the women’s team sprint (David Davies/PA)
Matt Stutzman competing in the para archery, firing the bow with his teeth and foot
Matt Stutzman, known as ‘the armless archer’, competes at the men’s individual compound open last 16. He would go on to take Paralympic gold in the event (Adam Davy/PA)
Dame Sarah Storey crossing the finish line in the women's Paralympic C4-5 road race
Dame Sarah Storey claimed her 19th Paralympic gold medal after winning the women’s C4-5 road race (Andrew Matthews/PA)
London Spirit captain Heather Knight lifts the Hundred trophy
Heather Knight lifts the Hundred trophy after her London Spirit side beat Welsh Fire (Steven Paston/PA)
England players stand and applaud as the big screen at Old Trafford shows a tribute to former batter Graham Thorpe
England players pay tribute to former batter Graham Thorpe, who took his own life aged 55 (Nick Potts/PA)
Silhouette image of Rory McIlroy hitting an iron shot
Rory McIlroy competes at the BMW PGA Championship. He would go on to lose on the final day at Wentworth in a play-off against Billy Horschel (Zac Goodwin/PA)
Daniel Dubois, right, punching Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua’s career rebuild suffered a setback after he collapsed to a brutal fifth-round knockout by Daniel Dubois at Wembley (Bradley Collyer/PA)
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