The 12 chimes of 2021: the departure of Messi from Barcelona, ​​Usyk, the Bucks, Lamont Marcell Jacobs …

In twelve months there are unexpected events. Some buried the forecasts. The myth (Messi) that leaves his usual team, the Hamiton-Verstappen World Cup That is decided in the last kilometers, the teenager who wins a gold or the team that storms Wembley carried the poster of planetary surprises. There is a choice. These were 12 chimes of 2021.

The departure of Messi from Barça was a surprise of worldwide relevance. On August 5, the club and the footballer parted ways, a scenario that a few hours before seemed incredible. The impact was brutal and its keys are still parsed. A golden book in the history of Barça was closing. After two decades of relationship Messi was forced to change his shirt. An express negotiation ended with the Argentine at PSG.

That the champion was Verstappen is not a surprise. That it was in the last lap in Abu Dhabi yes. A few minutes before the emperor was to be Hamilton again. However, the entry of the Safety Car and his change of tires caused the 24-year-old Dutchman to overtake the Englishman after race management decided that everything should be played on the last lap. An epic and controversial ending that is already among the legendary episodes of the history of this sport.

Milwaukee Bucks waited 50 years to be reunited with the NBA championship ring. In 71 he conquered it with Oscar Robertson and Abdul Jabbar, two of the most decisive players in history. Last season it would not have been possible without the endless arms of Giannis Antetokounmpo, cornerstone of a solid team that gave the surprise in a competition in which the Lakers, Nets, Suns or Heat seemed better placed.

In September, at Tottenham Hostpur Stadium, they had met 70,000 people to see how the British Anthony Joshua vaccinated the Ukrainian Alexsandr Usyk in the fight for the heavyweight world championship. What they witnessed was the opposite. At 34 years old, weighing 100 kilos and weighing 1.91 ugly duckling of the evening beat his rival unanimously on points. It was considered to be the big surprise of the year in boxing and there is already talk of a rematch.

There are sprinters who have not gone below the 10-second barrier. One of them until May was the Italian Lamont Marcell Jacobs (27 years old). Three months later, with 9.80, he became the new king of the 100-meter dash, a distance that seemed limited for Jamaicans and Americans. With an Italian mother and an American father, Jacobs thus gave one of the great surprises of the Games. With his feat, he became the first Italian to claim gold in this specialty.

Spanish motorcycling does not expire as a source of champions. This time it was the turn of a semi-unknown a year ago. Pedro Acosta, from Murcia, aged 17, he was proclaimed the new Moto3 world champion with a KTM. The pilot ran over all the predictions. Since 1990 (Capirossi) a rookie has not worn the world champion crown. Acosta is also the youngest Spaniard to wear that distinction. The next campaign will race in Moto2.

What has happened? That’s what the gold winner was asking in the final of the 400 free practice at the Tokyo pool. And all because the 18-year-old Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui, with the worst time of the participants, had won an unexpected victory to the astonishment of spectators and specialists. The new Olympic champion He did not even have an official uniform to collect the medal.

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