FIVB Beach Volleyball players Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers have enjoyed an incredible winning run stretching back 40 matches to last summer.
The American pairing’s long winning streak finally came to an end last week at the hands of Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego. In recognition of their fine achievement, we’re celebrating 10 other stunning runs of straight victories from world sport – here are the second five.
And you can read the first five by clicking here…
Not out of the Woods yet
Recent injury problems and tumult in his private life might have changed Tiger Woods and his career for ever, with Tiger currently a lowly 12th in the PGA Tour rankings, his lowest berth for 14 years, but the golfer every kid in America aspires to emulate made his mark back in 2000–1, winning all four Majors consecutively – the 2000 US Open, 2000 Open Championship, 2000 US PGA Championship and then the 2001 Masters. Though technically not the golf ‘Grand Slam’ (this would have needed them all to be in the same calendar year), it was coined as the ‘Tiger Slam’, and will remain so until someone equals it. Which is probably a way off…
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Martina who?
When a Czechoslovakian brunette named Martina Navratilova first turned up at tennis Grand Slams in the mid-1970s, umpires would upset her by failing to pronounce her name correctly. This was not to last. Winning her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 1978, by 1984 the by-then-blonde Martina had won all four at least once, and having taken the 1983 Australian Open, a record 74-match winning streak would see her add the 1984 French Open, Wimbledon and US Open to her CV, meaning she held all consecutively. The winning streak ended with an agonising Australian Open semi-final defeat to Helena Sukova. Rather like Tiger Woods, no true ‘Grand Slam’ then for 1984, but Martina had nevertheless thoroughly sealed her legendary status.
Lithuania rugby tackles mighty opposition
When you think of the giants of international Rugby Union, you’ll probably think of South Africa or New Zealand’s All Blacks, and you’d be right to, seeing as they both share a mark of 17 consecutive victories over some pretty mighty teams, not least Europe’s best. But the overall record belongs to a side you might not even know played the game at all – Lithuania. The eastern Europeans only played their first international, a defeat to Germany, in 1993, but their record victory, a 77–5 thumping of Serbia last year, was also their 18th in a row, stretching back to May 2006, and thus broke the men’s Rugby Union Test world record. Unfortunately for them, their next game was a defeat, and a costly one – Ukraine’s 27–16 victory last May meant it was they who continued through the Rugby World Cup play-offs for 2011, while Lithuania’s long wait for a place in the top tournament goes on – for now at least.
Can we do it? Yes we Khan
Jahangir Khan might not be a household name everywhere in the world, but if you’re Pakistani and you follow squash rackets, the guy is a legend. His record of 555 consecutive match wins between his 1981 World Open title at the tender age of 17 and his defeat by Ross Norman in 1986 is arguably the greatest such achievement in sport anywhere, never mind squash. Jahangir’s domination was eventually countered by his namesake and fellow Peshawari player Jansher Khan, a thrilling rivalry for fans that meant Jahangir Khan could never again go on such a long winning streak.
Plain sailing
No wonder they still call it the America’s Cup. From its inauguration in 1851, when they defeated the English, the New York Yacht Club won the world’s most prestigious sailing contest 25 consecutive times until the Australians finally loosened their stranglehold in 1983, pushing the American yacht Liberty to a record seventh-race decider, an achievement which earned the Royal Perth Yacht Club crew of Australia II and their captain John Bertrand ABC Wide World of Sports ‘Athlete of the Year’ award. The Americans’ 132-year reign of the seas remains the longest-held sporting record for successive victories…
Want more?
- Official FIVB Beach Volleyball website fivb.org
- Official Todd Rogers website at toddjrogers.com
- More ball sports action from redbull.com
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