Olympic year in review: Five of the best USA sporting performances of 2022
There have been some unforgettable performances by US athletes over the past 12 months, in sports as diverse as athletics, figure skating, swimming and speed skating. As 2022 draws to a close, here are five of the best performances by American athletes from the year that was.
It’s been a stellar year for US athletes competing in Olympic sports, with world records broken, gold medals won and even one of the greatest-ever Olympic stories told.
From a figure skating ‘Rocket Man’ to a gold medal that almost didn’t happen, here are five of the greatest sporting performances by US athletes in 2022.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, athletics
What a year it’s been for USA 400m hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Having won gold in a World Record time of 51.46 in last year’s Tokyo Olympics, the 23-year-old broke her own mark twice in 2022, including setting the current record of 50.68 at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. The new mark made her the first-ever woman to break the 51-second barrier, while also taking a full 0.73 seconds off of her previous world best time.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s exceptional year was recognised by World Athletics in December as she was named women’s World Athlete of the Year. Now, with Paris 2024 on the horizon, rumours are swirling that she will take on the 400m flat event.
McLaughlin-Levrone herself had this to say on the situation: “I know the open 400m, my PR (personal record) is pretty close to my 400 hurdle time right now. So there's definitely room for improvement there. So we're still figuring out what the best situation is for us and what that will look like in the coming season.”
Nathan Chen, figure skating
One of the highlights of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 was the sight of Nathan Chen mesmerising the world with a figure skating masterclass. His short program saw him break the world record, before he followed it up with a brilliant free skate routine to the tune of Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ that saw him clinch the gold medal.
Chen was already a three-time world champion, however Olympic gold was missing from his glistening resume. But all that changed in Beijing as he became the seventh US man to win Olympic gold in figure skating.
"You can't imagine how it feels," he said of the moment. "This means the world to me. I have the family connection [to Beijing, where his mother was born]. It's amazing to have this opportunity to do it here."
Katie Ledecky, swimming
The world has become used to Katie Ledecky setting new standards in swimming. But even for her, 2022 has been a brilliant year.
Four golds at the 2022 World Championships in 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay were followed by a dynamite two weeks in November where she **broke two short-course world records in the 1500m freestyle and 800m freestyle. **
The seven-time Olympic gold medallist and 19-time world champion now holds the 1500m and 800m world records in both the long and short course.
Erin Jackson, speed skating
Erin Jackson’s 500m speed skating gold medal was not only one of the most impressive moments of the Games in People’s Republic of China it was also one of the most beautiful stories.
After Jackson fell at the US trials to leave her Olympic hopes in tatters, friend and rival Brittany Bowe gave up her place in the event to allow Jackson to race in Beijing.
And at the Olympics, Jackson didn’t disappoint. A time of 37.04 seconds saw her win the gold medal and become the first black female Olympic speed skating champion in history.
"It’s like a dream come true,” Jackson said of the race. “I wouldn’t have predicted this even a year ago. I still feel kind of new in the sport and I’m just really grateful it turned out this way. I hope I have a longer future. I just tried to turn everything off and have an automatic race.
Noah Lyles, athletics
When Noah Lyles stood on the start line ready to defend his World title from 2019, few would have predicted what would happen next.
19.31 seconds after the gun sounded, Lyles crossed the finish line in a new American record, beating legend Michael Johnson’s record from 26 years earlier by 0.01 seconds.
Lyles' run that day saw him become the third-fastest male 200m runner of all time, with only Jamaicans Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt ahead of him. He also saw off the challenge of a new pretender to the throne, with 18-year-old Erriyon Knighton - who is faster than Bolt was at his age - coming home third to take the bronze medal.
Incredibly Lyles still feels he could have done more that day, telling Olympics.com: “I was running to break the world record, so if anything you could say I was a little disappointed.”
Still, there will be more to come from the 25-year-old who will still be in his prime years when the next Olympics takes place in Paris in 2024.