Sporting Highlights for 1986
Here are some of the sporting highlights in the world of sport for 1986. Major sporting events of this year include the FIFA World Cup in Mexico and the Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
It was the year of the soccer World Cup, which Argentina won by defeating West Germany 3-2. Diego Maradona was the biggest star of the event, and his "Hand of God" goal is well remembered to this date.
It was the first time a superstar was defaulted in tennis. In a match against Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors kept arguing a line call and would not return back to play. As time kept winding, he lost a point, a game and eventually the match by default. He was hugely criticized for his actions and most considered that he just quit.
Chris Evert won her 18th and final career grand slam that year defeating her arch rival Martina Navratilova in the French Open. However, the other half of the year belonged to Martina, who won the Wimbledon and the US Open.
Jack Nicklaus won his 18th and final major at The Masters Tournament. The 18 majors is the most by any player till now. Tiger Woods with 14 majors was projected as the one to challenge this mark, but his career took an unfortunate turn when his extramarital transgressions were exposed. Greg Norman also won his first major at The Open Championship.
Greg LeMond won his first Tour de France and was the first American to achieve the feat. He would go on to win the race two more times in his career.
Greg Lemond of the United States became the first American to win the Tour de France.
In English soccer, Liverpool won the Double - the league title and the FA Cup.
The Australian Open tennis was not held during this year due to a change from a tournament held in December 1985 to January 1987.
See also videos from the world of sport in 1986.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 1986.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Jan | Super Bowl held in N Orleans won by Chicago |
| April | Golf Masters won by Jack Nicklaus (6th win) |
| May | Tennis French Open won by Ivan Lendl and Chris Evert Lloyd |
| May 31 - June 29 | FIFA World Cup (Football) tournament was held in Mexico, and won by Argentina. |
| June | Golf US Open won by Ray Floyd |
| July | the Cycling Tour de France won by Greg LeMond |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon won by Boris Becker and Martina Navratilova |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Greg Norman |
| July 24 - Aug 2 | Commonwealth Games held in Edinburg, Scotland. |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by Bob Tway |
| Sep | Tennis US Open won by Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by New York Mets |
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 1986
- 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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