1991 in sports.html



Artistic Gymnastics

• World Artistic Gymnastics Championships:
  • Men's all-around champion: Grigory Misutin, USSR
  • Women's all-around champion: Kim Zmeskal, USA
  • Men's team competition champion: USSR
  • Women's team competition champion: USSR

Athletics

For an extensive coverage see 1991 in athletics (track and field)

Marathon

International Races

• January 27 — Osaka Marathon, Japan
  • Women's Winner: Katrin Dörre (GER) 2:27:43

• February 2 — Las Vegas Marathon, United States
  • Men's Winner: Samuel Rotich (KEN) 2:16:03
  • Women's Winner: Nadia Prasad (USA) 2:39:10

• February 10 — Tokyo Marathon, Japan
  • Men's Winner: Abebe Mekonnen (JPN) 2:10:26

• March 3 — Los Angeles Marathon, United States
  • Men's Winner: Mark Plaatjes (RSA) 2:10:29
  • Women's Winner: Cathy O'Brien (USA) 2:29:38

• April 15 — Boston Marathon, United States
  • Men's Winner: Ibrahim Hussein (KEN) 2:11:06
  • Women's Winner: Wanda Panfil (POL) 2:24:18

• April 21 — London Marathon, United Kingdom
  • Men's Winner: Yakov Tolstikov (URS) 2:09:17
  • Women's Winner: Rosa Mota (POR) 2:26:14

• April 21 — Rotterdam Marathon, Netherlands
  • Men's Winner: Robert de Castella (AUS) 2:09:42
  • Women's Winner: Joke Kleijweg (NED) 2:34:18

• May 26 — Hamburg Marathon, Germany
  • Men's Winner: Jörg Peter (GDR) 2:10:43
  • Women's Winner: Annette Fincke (FRG) 2:35:48

• June 15 — Enschede Marathon, Netherlands
  • Men's Winner: Sergey Prorokov (URS) 2:15:04
  • Women's Winner: Czesława Mentlewicz (POL) 2:41:48

• July 9 — Mediterranean Games Marathon, Athens, Greece
  • Men's Winner: Salah Qoquaiche (MAR) 2:20:26

• August 3 — Pan American Games Marathon, Havana, Cuba
  • Men's Winner: Alberto Cuba (CUB) 2:19:27
  • Women's Winner: Olga Appell (MEX) 2:43:36

• August 25 — IAAF World Championships Marathon, Tokyo, Japan
  • Women's Winner: Wanda Panfil (POL) 2:29:53

• September 1 — IAAF World Championships Marathon, Tokyo, Japan
  • Men's Winner: Hiromi Taniguchi (JPN) 2:14:57

• September 15 — Amsterdam Marathon, Netherlands
  • Men's Winner: Tesfaye Tafa (ETH) 2:13:26
  • Women's Winner: Mieke Hombergen (NED) 2:41:14

• September 29 — Berlin Marathon, West Germany
  • Men's Winner: Steve Brace (WAL) 2:10:57
  • Women's Winner: Renata Kokowska (POL) 2:27:36

• October 13 — Eindhoven Marathon, Netherlands
  • Men's Winner: Vladimir Kotov (BLR) 2:14:03
  • Women's Winner: Mieke Hombergen (NED) 2:46:28

• October 13 — Beijing Marathon, China PR
  • Men's Winner: Negash Dube (ETH) 2:12:55
  • Women's Winner: Deborah Noy (GBR) 2:35:18

• October 20 — Lisbon Marathon, Portugal
  • Men's Winner: Mario Sousa (POR) 2:15:21
  • Women's Winner: Rita Borralho (POR) 2:38:39

• October 27 — Chicago Marathon, United States
  • Men's Winner: Joseildo da Silva (BRA) 2:14:33
  • Women's Winner: Marie-Louise Hamrin (SWE) 2:36:21

• November 3 — New York City Marathon, United States
  • Men's Winner: Salvador García (MEX) 2:09:28
  • Women's Winner: Liz McColgan (GBR) 2:27:32

• November 17 — Tokyo Marathon, Japan
  • Women's Winner: Mari Tanigawa (JPN) 2:31:27

• December 1 — Fukuoka Marathon, Japan
  • Men's Winner: Shuichi Morishita (JPN) 2:10:58

• December 15 — Honolulu Marathon, United States
  • Men's Winner: Benson Masya (KEN) 2:18:24
  • Women's Winner: Ritva Lemettinen (FIN) 2:40:11

National Champions

• May 12 — Ottawa, Canada
  • Men's Winner: Michael Petrocci — 2:23:44
  • Women's Winner: Laura Konantz — 2:51:00

Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • Ernie Irvan won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Dale Earnhardt
• CART Racing - Michael Andretti won the season championship
  • Indianapolis 500 - Rick Mears
• Formula One Championship - Ayrton Senna of Brazil
• 24 hours of Le Mans: won by Volker Weidler / Johnny Herbert / Bertrand Gachot driving a Mazda 787
• Rally racing - Juha Kankkunen in a Lancia won the World Rally Championship
  • the team of Carlos Sainz / Luis Moya won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Toyota Celica GT4
• Drag racing - Joe Amato won the NHRA "Top Fuel" championship.

Baseball

• Dave Righetti breaks Sparky Lyle's major league record for left-handers of 238 career saves.
• July 28 - Dennis Martinez of the Montreal Expos pitches the 13th perfect game in major league history, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0.
• World Series: The Minnesota Twins win 4 games to 3 over the Atlanta Braves. The series MVP is Jack Morris of Minnesota.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Duke wins 72-65 over Kansas
• June 12 - NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls win 4 games to 1 over the Los Angeles Lakers to earn the franchise's first championship.
• November 7 - Basketball player Magic Johnson announces he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, thus ending his career in the NBA.
• National Basketball League (Australia) Finals: Perth Wildcats defeated the Eastside Melbourne Spectres 2-1 in the best-of-three final series.
• December 17 - The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 148 to 80, the largest margin of victory in any NBA game.

Boxing

• May 7 to 12 – 29th European Amateur Boxing Championships held in Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Light Flyweight (– 48 kg): Ivailo Marinov (Bulgaria)
  • Flyweight (– 51 kg): István Kovács (Hungary)
  • Bantamweight (– 54 kg): Serafim Todorov (Bulgaria)
  • Featherweight (– 57 kg): Paul Griffin (Ireland)
  • Lightweight (– 60 kg): Vasile Nistor (Romania)
  • Light Welterweight (– 63.5 kg): Konstantin Tszyu (Soviet Union)
  • Welterweight (– 67 kg): Roberto Welin (Sweden)
  • Light Middleweight (– 71 kg): Israel Akopkochyan (Soviet Union)
  • Middleweight (– 75 kg): Sven Ottke (Germany)
  • Light Heavyweight (– 81 kg): Dariusz Michalczewski (Germany)
  • Heavyweight (– 91 kg): Arnold Vanderlyde (Netherlands)
  • Super Heavyweight (+ 91 kg): Yevgeni Belousov (Soviet Union)

• June 1 at Palm Springs, California – Terry Norris knocked out Donald Curry in the 8th Round to win the WBC Super Welterweight Championship.

• August 2 to 18 – Pan American Games held in Havana, Cuba.
  • Light Flyweight (– 48 kg): Rogelio Marcelo (Cuba)
  • Flyweight (– 51 kg): José Ramos (Cuba)
  • Bantamweight (– 54 kg): Enrique Carrion (Cuba)
  • Featherweight (– 57 kg): Arnaldo Mesa (Cuba)
  • Lightweight (– 60 kg): Julio Gonzáles (Cuba)
  • Light Welterweight (– 63.5 kg): Steve Johnston (United States)
  • Welterweight (– 67 kg): Juan Hernández Sierra (Cuba)
  • Light Middleweight (– 71 kg): Juan Carlos Lemus (Cuba)
  • Middleweight (– 75 kg): Ramón Garbey (Cuba)
  • Light Heavyweight (– 81 kg): Orestes Solano (Cuba)
  • Heavyweight (– 91 kg): Félix Savón (Cuba)
  • Super Heavyweight (+ 91 kg): Roberto Balado (Cuba)

Cricket

• South Africa readmitted to the International Cricket Council following the abolition of apartheid, and play their first international game since 1970.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Franco Chiocciolo of Italy
• Tour de France - Miguel Indurain of Spain
• World Cycling Championship: Gianni Bugno of Italy

Dogsled racing

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion:
  • Rick Swenson won with lead dog: Goose

Field Hockey

World Competitions

• Men's Olympic Qualifier Tournament in Auckland, New Zealand
  • Gold Medal: Soviet Union
  • Silver Medal: India
  • Bronze Medal: New Zealand

• Men's Champions Trophy in Berlin, Germany
  • Gold Medal: Germany
  • Silver Medal: Pakistan
  • Bronze Medal: The Netherlands

• Women's Olympic Qualifier Tournament in Auckland, New Zealand
  • Gold Medal: Germany
  • Silver Medal: New Zealand
  • Bronze Medal: Canada

• Women's Champions Trophy in Berlin, Germany
  • Gold Medal: Australia
  • Silver Medal: Germany
  • Bronze Medal: The Netherlands

March 16 - In an international women's field hockey match at Wembley Stadium, England. England were beaten by France 2-1. It was the last ever match to have taken place at Wembley Stadium.

Regional Competitions

• Men's European Nations Cup in Paris, France
  • Gold Medal: Germany
  • Silver Medal: The Netherlands
  • Bronze Medal: England

• Pan American Games (Men's Competition) in Havana, Cuba
  • Gold Medal: Argentina
  • Silver Medal: Canada
  • Bronze Medal: United States

• Women's European Nations Cup in Brussels, Belgium
  • Gold Medal: England
  • Silver Medal: Germany
  • Bronze Medal: Soviet Union

• Pan American Games (Women's Competition) in Havana, Cuba
  • Gold Medal: Argentina
  • Silver Medal: Canada
  • Bronze Medal: United States

Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Kurt Browning, Canada
  • Ladies' champion: Kristi Yamaguchi, United States
  • Pair skating champions: Natalia Mishkutenok & Artur Dmitriev, Soviet Union
  • Ice dancing champions: Isabelle Duchesnay & Paul Duchesnay, France

Football (American)

• Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants won 20-19 over the Buffalo Bills
• NCAA Football Championship: Washington Huskies 12-0 (CNN/USA Today Coaches Poll) and Miami Hurricanes 12-0 (Associated Press Poll)
• World Bowl '91: London Monarchs won 21-0 over the Barcelona Dragons in the inaugural World Bowl.
• Minnesota State Championships : Burnsville Blaze

Football (Australian rules football)

• Australian Football League
  • The Adelaide Crows join the league
  • Hawthorn wins the 95th AFL premiership (Hawthorn 20.19 (139) d West Coast Eagles 13.8 (86))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Jim Stynes (Melbourne)

Football (Canadian)

• Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts win 36-21 over the Calgary Stampeders
• Vanier Cup: Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks win 25-18 over the Mount Allison Mounties

Football (Soccer)

For an extensive coverage see 1991 in football (soccer)

• FIFA Women's World Cup - United States won 2-1 over Norway
• European Cup - FK Red Star beat Olympique de Marseille 5-3 on penalties (0-0 aet)

Football (Rugby)

• Australia wins the 1991 Rugby World Cup

Golf

Men's professional

• April 11-14 - Masters Tournament - Ian Woosnam
• June 13-17 - U.S. Open - Payne Stewart
• July 18-21 - British Open - Ian Baker-Finch
• August 8-11 - PGA Championship - John Daly
• PGA Tour money leader - Corey Pavin - $979,430
• Senior PGA Tour money leader - Mike Hill - $1,065,657
• Ryder Cup - United States team won 14½ - 13½ over the Europe in team golf.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur - Gary Wolstenholme
• U.S. Amateur - Mitch Voges
• European Amateur - Jim Payne
• Tiger Woods, at age 15, won his first USGA title, the U.S. Junior Amateur.

Women's professional

• Nabisco Dinah Shore - Amy Alcott
• June 27-30 - LPGA Championship - Meg Mallon
• July 11-14 - U.S. Women's Open - Meg Mallon
• Classique du Maurier - Nancy Scranton
• LPGA Tour money leader - Pat Bradley - $763,118

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Let's Elope
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Dance Smartly
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Suave Dancer
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Generous

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes - Mystiko
  2. Epsom Derby - Generous
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Toulon

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. May 4 - Kentucky Derby - Strike the Gold
  2. Preakness Stakes - Hansel
  3. Belmont Stakes - Hansel

• Breeders' Cup:
  1. Breeders' Cup Classic - Black Tie Affair
  2. Breeders' Cup Distaff - Dance Smartly
  3. Breeders' Cup Juvenile - Arazi
  4. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies - Pleasant Stage
  5. Breeders' Cup Mile - Opening Verse
  6. Breeders' Cup Sprint - Sheikh Albadou
  7. Breeders' Cup Turf - Miss Alleged

Harness Racing

• North America Cup - Precious Bunny

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Silky Stallone
  2. Little Brown Jug - Precious Bunny
  3. Messenger Stakes - Die Laughing

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Giant Victory
  2. Yonkers Trot -
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Whiteland Janice

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Mark Ranover
  • Trotters: Fraggle Rock

Ice Hockey

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings

• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues

• Stanley Cup:
  • Pittsburgh Penguins win 4 games to 2 over the Minnesota North Stars

• Conn Smythe Trophy: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins

• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Sweden defeated Canada
  • Junior Men's champion: Canada defeated the USSR

• Sheffield Steelers formed

Lacrosse

• The Detroit Turbos defeat the Baltimore Thunder to win the Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship

Radiosport

• The Friendship Radiosport Games held in Portland, Oregon, USA was the first international Amateur Radio Direction Finding competition held in the Americas.
• Third European High Speed Telegraphy Championship held in Neerpelt, Belgium.

Skiing

• Alpine Skiing
  • The men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg
  • The women's overall season champion: Petra Kronberger, Austria

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship: John Parrott beats Jimmy White 18-11
• World rankings: Stephen Hendry remains world number one for 1991/92

Swimming

International events

• The sixth FINA World Championships, held in Perth, Australia (January 3 – 13)
• Eleventh Pan American Games held in Havana, Cuba (August 12 – 18)
• 20th European LC Championships, held in Athens, Greece (August 18 – 25)
• Fourth Pan Pacific Championships, held in Edmonton, Canada (August 22 – 25)
• First European Sprint Championships, held in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (December 6 – 8)

Records

• December 13 — Steve Crocker sets the first official world record in the men's 50m freestyle (short course) in Sheffield, United Kingdom, clocking 25.64.

Taekwondo

• World Championships held in Athens, Greece

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Boris Becker
  2. French Open - Jim Courier
  3. Wimbledon championships - Michael Stich
  4. US Open - Stefan Edberg

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Monica Seles
  2. French Open - Monica Seles
  3. Wimbledon championships - Steffi Graf
  4. US Open - Monica Seles

• Davis Cup: France won 3-1 over the United States in world tennis.

Volleyball

Men's Competition

• FIVB World Cup in several cities in Japan
  • Gold Medal:  Soviet Union
  • Silver Medal:  Cuba
  • Bronze Medal:  United States

• FIVB World League – Final Four in Milan, Italy
  • Gold Medal:  Italy
  • Silver Medal:  Cuba
  • Bronze Medal:  Soviet Union

• Asian Championship in Perth, Australia
  • Gold Medal:  Japan
  • Silver Medal:  South Korea
  • Bronze Medal:  China

• Men's Tournament in Berlin, Germany
  • Gold Medal:  Soviet Union
  • Silver Medal:  Italy
  • Bronze Medal:  Netherlands

• Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba
  • Gold Medal:  Cuba
  • Silver Medal:  Brazil
  • Bronze Medal:  Argentina

Women's Competition

• FIVB World Cup in several cities in Japan
  • Gold Medal:  Cuba
  • Silver Medal:  China
  • Bronze Medal:  Soviet Union

• Asian Championship in Bangkok, Thailand
  • Gold Medal:  China
  • Silver Medal:  Japan
  • Bronze Medal:  South Korea

• Women's Tournament in Rome, Italy
  • Gold Medal:  Soviet Union
  • Silver Medal:  Netherlands
  • Bronze Medal:  Germany

• Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba
  • Gold Medal:  Cuba
  • Silver Medal:  Brazil
  • Bronze Medal:  Peru

Water Polo

Men's Competition

• World Championship in Perth, Australia
  • Gold Medal:  Yugoslavia
  • Silver Medal:  Spain
  • Bronze Medal:  Hungary

• FINA World Cup in Barcelona, Spain
  • Gold Medal:  United States
  • Silver Medal:  Yugoslavia
  • Bronze Medal:  Spain

• European Championship in Athens, Greece
  • Gold Medal:  Yugoslavia
  • Silver Medal:  Spain
  • Bronze Medal:  Soviet Union

• Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba
  • Gold Medal:  Cuba
  • Silver Medal:  United States
  • Bronze Medal:  Brazil

Women's Competition

• World Championship in Perth, Australia
  • Gold Medal:  Netherlands
  • Silver Medal:  Canada
  • Bronze Medal:  United States

• European Championship in Athens, Greece
  • Gold Medal:  Hungary
  • Silver Medal:  Netherlands
  • Bronze Medal:  Italy

Multi-sport events

• Eleventh Pan American Games held in Havana, Cuba

• Fifth All-Africa Games held in Cairo, Egypt

• Eleventh Mediterranean Games held in Athens, Greece

• Sixteenth Summer Universiade held in Sheffield, United Kingdom

• Fifteenth Winter Universiade held in Sapporo, Japan

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: Michael Jordan, NBA basketball
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: Monica Seles, Tennis

Pro Wrestling

• Hulk Hogan, wins WWF/WWE's Royal Rumble 1991
• The WCW World Heavyweight Championship is created, but only is used for a year. It is re-used again in 1994 until 2001, until WWE bought out World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
• The American Wrestling Association goes bankrupt.

Births

• January 15 — Rubab Raza, Pakistani swimmer
• September 10 — Lisvel Elisa Eve, Dominican Republic volleyball player

Deaths

• January 1 — Inga Gentzel (82), Swedish athlete (b. 1908)
• January 3 — Luke Appling, American baseball player (1930-1950)
• January 21 — Red Grange, American National Football League player
• March 2 — James "Cool Papa" Bell, Negro League baseball player
• April 4 — Luc de Rijck, Belgian soccer player
• April 20 — Bucky Walters, American baseball pitcher (1934-1950)
• April 25 — Theo Laseroms, Dutch soccer player
• May 6 — Chucky Mullins, US football player
• May 14 — Aladár Gerevich (81), Hungarian fencer (b. 1910)
• May 20 — Pete Runnels, American baseball player (1951-1964)
• June 8 — Mary Bacon, jockey
• June 20 — Michael Westphal (26), German tennis player (b. 1965)
• August 10 — Ellen Braumüller (80), German track and field athlete (b. 1910)
• September 15 — Smoky Burgess, American baseball player (1949-1967)
• October 7 — Leo Durocher, American baseball player (1925-1945), and manager
• October 7 — Darren Millane, Australian Rules Football player (1984-91)
• October 23 — Július Torma (69), Slovak boxer (b. 1922)
• November 26 — Bob Johnson, American ice hockey coach
• December 5 — Hein van der Zee (62), Dutch boxer (b. 1929)
• December 16 — Horatio Luro, race horse trainer including Northern Dancer
• December 25 — Mahmood Hussain, Pakistani cricketer