Saturday, May 7, 2011

My Favourite Athletes

A hero from rugby. A hero from football. A hero from golf. Scroll down to see more.



Brian O'Driscoll

Bit of a gimme this one, the Irishman is a non-stop bulldozing machine. Every match he gives 100% and although he may not be as influential as he used to be he still chips in with important tries, as he did when Ireland squeezed past England in 2009 on their way to a first grand slam in more than 60 years. 

O'Driscoll inspires me simply because of his passion for the game (and maybe a tad because he's Irish!). I remember watching him play on the Lions Tour when I was younger and I was in awe. I mean, the things he could do with the ball were just incredible. His hunger and desire for the game have remained with him throughout his career and when he was unjustifiably speared by New Zealanaders Kevin Mealamu and Tana Umaga I feared the worst for arguably the world's best rugby player. That dislocated shoulder sidelined Drico for 5 months and although rugby fans around the world were thrown into panic, BOD came back stronger than ever and with it, consolidating his place in rugby history.

As centres are more renowned for their ability to break the oppostions back-line, O'Driscoll is a more gritty, on the ball player than most centres. He becomes most involved when the ball's on the ground however as a centre he's made a name for himself for scoring tries, and some quite wonderful tries at that.



                                                                                                   

Ryan Giggs                                                                                                                                

Truly an inspiration. A gift from the football gods. The Welshman has competed in every Premier League season since its introduction in 1992 and he remains as key as ever to the United squad. To remain playing football at the highest level for the better part of twenty years is simply remarkable. Even after competing all these years his physique for the sport is still as sharp as a knife and he has continued to run the United midfield, wherever he plays in the park.

The Welsh Wizard inspires me simply because of his hunger for the game, even at this stage in his life. Most athletes usually deteriorate as they ascend upon their 30's but Ryan Giggs is a wonderful exception, and a brilliant example to the kids at that. Children all over the world idolise the 11 time Premier League winner and rightly so as he continues to set a good example on the pitch, as well as off the pitch. Giggs also boasts numerous records including scoring in every Premier League season to date, most appearances in a Manchester United jersey, as well as most recently, becoming the oldest player to score in a Champions League game at the age of 37 years and 148 days. His loyalty to Manchester United goes unrivaled among the football world and he has gained monumental respect from players, clubs and fans for his time spent at United. He is truly a footballing great.




Luke Donald

                                                                                                           
Until earlier this year, nobody would've suspected that this Englishman would be competing among the top golfers in the world but here is, playing the golf of his life already boasting 6 top 10 finishes in just 7 events this year. The world no.3 never really got going in the early part of 2010, only making 5 top 10 finishes coming up to September. But my oh my, how he turned on the style from then, finishing the year strongly with 2 top 5 finishes in his last three outings.

I like Donald purely because he's the underdog. I know that's never really a reason to have somebody as your 'favourite' but I just find watching him play fascinating. For instance, I was delighted for Luke when he won the WGC Accenture Matchplay event earlier this year at Doral, playing flawlessly the whole tournament. He's quickly established himself this year as a top class golfer and jumped 4 places in the world rankings in the process, climbing to a career high 3rd which he currently holds. Having proved himself as a serious challenger earlier this year at the Masters I'm hoping he can keep his act together and maybe win one of the three remaining majors, preferably the British Open at Royal St. George's GC in July as there would be an amazing reception from the home crowd if he won, being English of course.

1 comment:

  1. I have to admit that Ronaldihno is one of my favorites because he is quite humble and it is a characteristic that it is quite hard to find.

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