Sporting Highlights for 1934
Here are some of the sporting highlights in the world of sport for 1934. The second edition of the FIFA World Cup was held this year. The hosting nation Italy took the cup by defeating Czechoslovakia in the finals. Another major sporting event was the second Commonwealth Games (then called the British Empire Games), held in England.
It was just the fifth edition of the only major tournament, Women's Western Open, conducted for women's golf. Marian McDougall won the now defunct event that year. It was the first and only time she won a major event in her career.
It was the year in which the Masters Tournament was inaugurated as the fourth major men's golf tournament. Horton Smith won the event which was also his first major title (he repeated his win in 1936). Paul Runyan won the PGA Championship that year for his first career major title. Both Smith and Runyan won again at the same events respectively and both finished their careers with two major titles.
In men's tennis, Fred Perry was the man in form. He won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open that year to claim his second, third, and fourth grand slam titles. His run at the grand slams continued for two more years where he won eight titles in 13 grand slam events.
Helen Jacobs won the US Open for the third straight year. She won the event again the following year to become the first person to win the US Open four straight times, a feat that has since been matched only by Chris Evert in 1978.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 1934.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Jan | Tennis Australia Open won by Fred Perry and Joan Hartigan |
| April | Golf Masters won by Horton Smith. |
| May | Tennis French Open won by Gottfried von Cramm and Margaret Scriven |
| May 27 - June 10 | FIFA World Cup (Football) tournament was held in Italy, won by Italy. |
| June | Golf US Open won by Olin Dutra |
| July | the Cycling Tour de France won by Antonin Magne |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon won by Fred Perry and Dorothy Round |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Henry Cotton |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by Paul Runyan |
| Aug 4-11 | Commonwealth Games held in London, England. |
| Sep | Tennis US National Championship won by Fred Perry and Helen Jacobs |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by St. Louis Cardinals |
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
- 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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