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Recap of the year 1997 in sports.

Auto Racing[]

  • Stock car racing:
    • Jeff Gordon is the youngest driver ever to win the Daytona 500 on February 16
    • NASCAR Championship - Jeff Gordon
  • Indy Racing League -
  • Indianapolis 500 - Arie Luyendyk
  • CART Racing - Alex Zanardi won the season championship
  • Formula One Championship - Jacques Villeneuve of Canada
  • V8 Supercars Australia
    • Championship Series won by Glenn Seton in a Ford Falcon EL.
    • Bathurst 1000 for V8 Supercars won by Russel Ingall and Larry Perkins in a Holden Commodore VS.
    • Bathurst 1000 for Super Touring won by Jim Richards and Rickard Rydell. Rydell setting a shootout lap of 2:14.x, fastest super touring lap ever around the mountain at that time.
  • 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Michele Alboreto / Stefan Johansson / Tom Kristensen won, driving a TWR-Porsche
  • Rally racing - Tommi Mäkinen won the World Rally Championship
    • the team of Piero Liatti / Fabrizia Pons won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Subaru Impreza WRC97
  • Drag racing - Gary Scelzi won the NHRA "Top Fuel" championship.

Baseball[]

Basketball[]

  • NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
  • NBA Finals:
  • WNBA Finals:
    • Houston Comets defeat the New York Liberty in one game playoff series.


Boxing[]

  • January 18 - Las Vegas, Nevada - Oscar De La Hoya maintained his World Boxing Council super lightweight title in with a 12-round unanimous decision over Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
  • June 28 - Mike Tyson bites off a piece of the ear of Evander Holyfield in the third round of their WBA Heavyweight title fight, getting disqualified by referee Mills Lane.
  • July 9 - Mike Tyson's boxing license is suspended for at least a year and he is fined $3 million for biting Evander Holyfield's ear in a televised match.


Cricket[]

  • The Ashes - Australia win the six test series 3-2
  • ICC Trophy - Bangladesh
  • County Cricket Championship (England and Wales) - Glamorgan

Cycling[]

  • Giro d'Italia won by Ivan Gotti of Italy
  • Tour de France - Jan Ullrich of Germany
  • World Cycling Championship: Laurent Brochard of France


Field Hockey[]

  • October 17 - 19 - Champions Trophy held at Adelaide, Australia won by Germany. Hosts Australia finish second.


Figure Skating[]

  • World Figure Skating Championships:
    • Men's champion: Elvis Stojko, Canada
    • Women's champion: Tara Lipinski, United States
    • Pairs champions: Mandy Wötzel & Ingo Steuer, Germany


Football (American)[]


Football (Australian Rules)[]

  • Australian Football League
    • Port Adelaide join the league
    • The Adelaide Crows, who joined the league seven years earlier, win the 101st AFL premiership (Adelaide Crows 19.11 (125) d St Kilda 13.16 (94))
    • Brownlow Medal awarded to Robert Harvey (St Kilda)


Football (Canadian)[]

  • Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts won 47-23 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders
  • Vanier Cup: UBC Thunderbirds win 39-23 over the Ottawa Gee Gees


Golf[]

Men's Golf[]

  • Major championship results:
        1. April 13 - The Masters - Tiger Woods
        2. June - US Open - Ernie Els
        3. July - British Open - Justin Leonard
        4. August - PGA Championship - Davis Love III
  • PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Tiger Woods - $2,066,833
  • PGA Champions Tour leading money winner: Hale Irwin - $2,343,364
  • Ryder Cup: Europe won 14 1/2-13 1/2 over the United States in world team golf.


Women's Golf[]

  • US Women's Open - Alison Nicholas
  • LPGA Championship - Chris Johnson
  • Annika Sörenstam: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $1,236,789.


Thoroughbred Horse Racing[]

  • Australia - Melbourne Cup - Might And Power
  • Canada - Queen's Plate - Awesome Again
  • France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Peintre Célèbre
  • Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Desert King
  • English Triple Crown Races:
        1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Entrepreneur
        2. Epsom Derby - Benny the Dip
        3. St. Leger Stakes - Silver Patriarch
  • United States Triple Crown Races:
        1. Kentucky Derby - Silver Charm
        2. Preakness Stakes - Silver Charm
        3. Belmont Stakes - Touch Gold
  • Breeders' Cup:
        1. Breeders' Cup Classic - Skip Away
        2. Breeders' Cup Distaff - Ajina
        3. Breeders' Cup Juvenile - Favorite Trick
        4. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies - Countess Diana
        5. Breeders' Cup Mile - Spinning World
        6. Breeders' Cup Sprint - Elmhurst
        7. Breeders' Cup Turf - Chief Bearhart


Harness Racing[]

  • North America Cup - Gothic Dream
  • Western Dreamer won the United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
        1. Cane Pace - Western Dreamer
        2. Little Brown Jug - Western Dreamer
        3. Messenger Stakes - Western Dreamer
  • United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
        1. Hambletonian - Malabar Man
        2. Yonkers Trot - Lord Stormont
        3. Kentucky Futurity - Take Chances
  • Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
         o Pacers: Our Sir Vancelot
         o Trotters: Pride Of Petite


Ice Hockey[]

         o Men's champion: Canada defeated Sweden
         o Junior Men's champion: Finland defeated Russia
         o Women's champion: Canada defeated the United States


Skiing[]

  • Alpine Skiing
    • The men's overall season champion: Luc Alphand, France
    • The women's overall season champion: Pernilla Wiberg, Sweden


Snooker[]

  • World Snooker Championship: Ken Doherty beats Stephen Hendry 18-12
  • World rankings: Stephen Hendry remains world number one for 1997/98


Tennis[]

  • Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
        1. Australian Open - Pete Sampras
        2. French Open - Gustavo Kuerten
        3. Wimbledon championships - Pete Sampras
        4. US Open - Patrick Rafter
  • Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
        1. Australian Open - Martina Hingis
        2. French Open - Iva Majoli
        3. Wimbledon championships - Martina Hingis
        4. US Open - Martina Hingis
  • Davis Cup: Sweden won 5-0 over the United States in world tennis.
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