Australian Sporting Highlights for 2012
The year 2012. Another successful year in sports for Australian athletes. The summer Olympic Games in London was the sporting highlight of the year. Australia had a relatively disappointing Olympic campaign, with the swimmers not winning as many gold as expected.
The golden girls for Australia at the Olympics were hurdler Sally Pearson and cyclist Anna Meares. The sailors also performed above expectations.
In Rugby league, Queensland extended its record with a seventh straight State of Origin series success. In football, Brisbane Roar beat Perth Glory in the grand final to become the first club to win back-to-back A-League titles.
In cricket, it was the year of Michael Clarke, who scored the most runs (1595) by any Australian ever in a calendar year. We also saw the retirement of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey.
Australian Joel 'Parko' Parkinson became the world surfing champion. Although hampered by injuries, NBA player Andrew Bogut was the highest paid Australian athlete for 2012, the second year running.
The 2012 Don Award, which recognises the sporting achievement of the year which has inspired the people of Australia, was awarded to hurdler Sally Pearson.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in Australian sport for the year 2012.
| Date(s) | Sport | Event | Location | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16-29 | Tennis | Australia Open | Melbourne | Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Rafael Nadal (Spain) in a record longest grand slam final of nearly 6 hrs. Victoria Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova in a one sided contest |
| Apr 22 | Soccer | A-League Grand Final | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Brisbane Roar beat Perth Glory |
| Jun 30-July 22 | Cycling | Tour de France | France 2012 | Defending champion Cadel Evans finished 7th |
| July 19–22 | Golf | The Open Championship | Royal Lytham & St Annes | won by South African Ernie Els, after a capitulation by Australian Adam Scott in in the final holes. |
| July 27-Aug 12 | Multi | Summer Olympic Games | London | The sailors surprised with 3 golds, and the total of 7 gold medals had us finishing 10th on the medal tally. |
| Sept 29 | AFL | Grand Final | MCG, Melbourne | Swans beat Hawks |
| Sept 30 | Rugby League | Grand Final | ANZ stadium, Sydney | Melbourne Storm beat Canterbury Bulldogs |
| Nov 6 | Horse Racing | Melbourne Cup | Victoria | won by Green Moon |
If you have a correction or know of events that should be included here, please let me know.
Related Pages
- Australian Sport Timeline
- Highlights of world sport in 2012
- Timeline (all years) in the world of sport
- For sporting events in 2012 and other future 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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