Sporting Highlights for 1981
Here are some of the sporting highlights in the world of sport for 1981.
Hana Mandlíková is the only player who was able to have a successful career in an era dominated by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. She won French Open title one of the four grand slam wins of her career. Tracy Austin won her second US Open title defeating Martina Navratilova.
Ivan Lendl was a 20 year old promising player with big plans of defeating the then 10 time grand slam winner Bjorn Borg in the French Open. So he intentionally lost a match in a preceding tournament to hide his game plan. The plan did not work, and Lendl would lose to Borg in a close five set match. Borg would however lose to John McEnroe in Wimbledon and the US Open that year and eventually retire the following year.
Tom Watson won the Masters Tournament for his fifth major and Larry Nelson won his first major taking the PGA Championship. Sandra Haynie won the du Maurier Classic for the fourth and final major title of her career.
Nelson Piquet won the year's F1 driver's championship by a single point, one of the smallest margin wins ever. Though Alain Prost had the same number of wins as Nelson Piquet at three, Piquet was more consistent in finishing more races than Prost. Both racers would continue to have a successful career.
A total number of 21 people died while rushing out of the stadium to celebrate the victory of Olympiacos against AEK Athens at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Neo Faliro, Athens, Greece.
See some videos from the world of sport in 1981.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 1981.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Feb | Super Bowl held in New Orleans won by Oakland |
| April | Golf Masters won by Tom Watson (2nd win) |
| May | Tennis French Open won by Bjorn Borg and Hana Mandlikova |
| June | Golf US Open won by David Graham |
| July | the Cycling Tour de France won by Bernard Hinault |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon won by John McEnroe and Chris Evert Lloyd |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Bill Rogers |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by Larry Nelson |
| Sep | Tennis US Open won by John McEnroe and Tracy Austin |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Dec | Tennis Australia Open won by Johan Kriek and Martina Navratilova |
Please note that the dates for past events are not always known, and are sometimes just placed in the month that the current event is held. If no exact date is listed, then it is just an estimated month that it was held.
If you have a correction or know of events that should be included here, please let me know.
Related Pages
- Ballon D'or Winners for 1981
- Timeline (all years) in the world of sport
- For future sporting events, see the Calendar of Major Sporting Events
- More about the World of Sport
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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