Sporting Highlights for 1962
Here are some of the sporting highlights in the world of sport for 1962. Major events this year were the FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. It was the year of the FIFA World Cup. Brazil defended their title by defeating Czechoslovakia in the finals. The Commonwealth Games (then called the British Empire and Commonwealth Games) were held in Australia.
Jacques Anquetil won the Tour de France for the third straight time and for the fourth time in his career. He would go on to win the event in the following year too to become the first-ever to win the race five times.
In men's tennis, it can just be described as the Rod Laver year. He completed a sweep of all the four slams defeating another Australian great Roy Emerson in the finals in three of the events. Rod Laver is the only man to have completed the golden slam, not just once but twice, the second time coming in 1969. Margaret Court won three women's grand slam titles missing out only at Wimbledon. Margret had two more years of three title wins before her 1970 golden slam.
Jack Nicklaus, the greatest golfer ever, with a total of 18 major wins, made his first pro appearance in January at the age of 21. He finished 50th in the event. He won the US Open the same year for his first major win. Arnold Palmer won the Masters Tournament and The Open Championship for his fifth and sixth major titles.
Mickey Wright won two majors, the Women's Western Open for the first time and defended her Titleholders Championship title.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 1962.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Jan | Tennis Australia Open won by Rod Laver and Margaret Smith |
| April | Golf Masters won by Arnold Palmer (3rd win) |
| May | Tennis French Open won by Rod Laver and Margaret Smith |
| May 30 - June 17 | FIFA World Cup (Football) tournament was held in Chile, won by Brazil. |
| June | Golf US Open won by Jack Nicklaus. |
| July | the Cycling Tour de France won by Jacques Anquetil |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon won by Rod Laver and Karen Susman |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Arnold Palmer |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by Gary Player |
| Sep | Tennis US National Championship won by Rod Laver and Margaret Smith |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by New York Yankees |
| Nov 21 - Dec 1 | Commonwealth Games held in Perth, Australia. |
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 1962
- 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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