Who is a sporting hero

This is the tooth-and-claw, red-blooded world of professional sport. So while we are all grateful to every athlete who took to the field in , this is our list of the primus inter pares of sporting achievement. And where there are heroes there are sure to be villains.

Yin and yang, light and shade, all that malarkey. Of course, Marcus Rashford. As if you could even think of having a list of sporting heroes without him after his astonishing commitment to altruistic causes in His campaign to raise awareness of child food poverty resulted in not one but two government U-turns, with a commitment to give food vouchers to 1.

In something of a memorable year for Rashford, he has also started a national book club to encourage kids to embrace the escapism offered by reading, and earned himself an MBE and a GQ Men Of The Year award. It was all looking so easy for Primoz Roglic. Holding a second lead over his compatriot, year-old wunderkind Tadej Pogacar, victory was all but assured.

This was less a race than a coronation. Except that nobody told Pogacar, who rode a simply astonishing leg, storming into La Planche Des Belles Filles only the French could have a place called Plank Of Beautiful Girls with an unfathomable second advantage over Roglic to win the Tour. At 30, Roglic may never again have as good a chance of achieving his lifelong dream.

Nevertheless, with his ambitions in tatters, his first reaction was to go and warmly embrace Pogacar, before paying effusive tribute to him, and apologising to his own team mates.

Sportsmanship at its classiest. For good measure, he then bounced back to win his second successive Vuelta De Espana title. He learned through his suffering while facing an eclectic bunch of confrontations, even including the possibility of death. After examining the actions and life of Jackie Robinson it becomes clear that he is both a highly moral individual, as well as highly competent.

In the words of Rev. He was a transforming agent and in the face of such hostility and such meanness and violence, he did it with such amazing dignity. However, these qualities were not just present during his years playing baseball. After he retired from the sport, he used his unique position and fame as a platform to call for an end to racial injustice. His work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and with the Southern Christian Leadership Council helped create many new opportunities for african-americans as he spoke on the injustices of racial segregation.

It was in the year , his first year of eligibility, that Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. His breaking of the baseball color line helped to also break various other color lines all across the United States.

His unbending principles and control under this intense and demanding role was equally balanced against his passion for winning. Because of this, Jackie Robinson is a hero for both the sport of baseball and all African-Americans. Shavarsh Karapetyan is a retired Soviet Armenian finswimmer. Despite his prolific accomplishments in the water, Karapetyan is much more well- known in the former USSR for his heroic, self-sacrificing actions on September 16, Just as he finished a 12 mile training run with his brother alongside the Yerevan Lake in Yerevan, Armenia, a trolleybus veered out of control, fell from the dam wall, and crashed into the reservoir, 80 feet from shore and 33 feet deep into the water.

Karapetyan swam to the bus, and despite almost zero visibility in the dirty water, broke the back window of the bus with his legs and began pulling people out. The trolleybus was crowded with as many as 92 passengers and Karapetyan knew he had little time, spending approximately seconds for each person he saved. Karapetyan managed to rescue 20 people he picked up many more, but 20 of them survived , before the combined effects of the freezing water and wounds from broken glass rendered him unconscious, where he remained for 45 days.

The damages sustained from his selfless, heroic act included subsequent sepsis due to the presence of raw sewage in the lake water , and lung complications, ending his athletic career.

The publication revealed that he was the rescuer, making his name a household name in the USSR. That was his only choice. He simply did what he knew was right, what he was supposed to do in such situation, no matter how difficult and dangerous it was. It was so dark down there that I could barely see anything. One of my dives, I accidentally grabbed a seat instead of a passenger… I could have saved a life instead.

That seat still haunts me in my nightmares. Incredibly, Karapetyan found himself in another heroic situation nine years later. On February 19, , he happened to be near a burning building with many people trapped inside.

Without a second of hesitation, he ran into the building and began pulling people out to safety. Again, he suffered serious personal injury, this time in the form of severe burns to his body, and spent many weeks recovering in the hospital. When his wounds healed and he felt better, Shavarsh got back to practices and managed to set yet another world record swimming with a scuba set for a 0.

This was his eleventh and last world record. Karapetyan made a great moral contribution that was only possible through his exceptional swimming ability. His heroic act was one of incredible personal sacrifice and valor. Throughout his life, Shavarsh never sought recognition and never claimed any credit for his super-heroic acts.

After leaving his sports career he has been living a simple life, working as a school principal and raising his three children. They wrote this essay as part of their course requirement while enrolled in Dr. Allison What is the recipe for heroism? Like this: Like Loading We can also add that she is an American playing a game that is dominated by the Russians. Jackie Robinson. A man that not only changed baseball, but he changed a culture.

Arthur Ashe. Billie Jean King. Roberto Clemente. A baseball player that left baseball in the offseason to pursue charity work for his native Puerto Rico. Ultimately, this charitable work claimed his life. Pat Tillman.

Adaptive Action Sports Adaptive Action Sports has provided opportunities for adaptive athletes to compete in snowboarding competitions.

Aimee Mullins Aimee Mullins challenges the definitions of physical beauty and athletic ability. Albert Pujols Albert Pujols is a hero to Travis because of his faith, devotion to his family, and skill as a baseball player. Althea Gibson Althea Gibson was an American tennis and golf player who broke the color barrier in professional tennis. Amy Hannus Amy Hannus is a boxer who champions women's strengths. Anthony Robles Anthony Robles is an accomplished wrestler despite his disability.

Arnold Palmer Arnold Palmer was a golf icon who moved the sport onto the national scene. Arthur Ashe Arthur Ashe was a tennis champion and humanitarian. Bethany Hamilton Bethany Hamilton is a motivational speaker, writer, and professional surfer who survived a shark attack that left her with one arm when she was 13 years old. Betty Lennox Betty Lennox works hard to be the best and helps others to acheive their best. Bill Veeck Bill Veeck was a maverick sports owner and an inspiration to fans.

Billy Mills Billy Mills is an Olympic gold medal runner who encourages Native American youth to believe in the power of their dreams.

Vivian Stringer C. Vivian Stringer despite great challenges, pursued her passion for basketball and is known for turning women into champions. Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. Cathy Freeman Cathy Freeman wins races and respect for the plight of native Australian people. Chamique Holdsclaw Chamique Holdsclaw is one of the most celebrated players in women's basketball.

Clara Hughes Clara Hughes is a Canadian gold medal winner in the summer and winter games. Cle Ross Cle Ross is bringing youth baseball back to an inner city. Coach Carl Swearingen.

Darrell Green Darrell Green started a foundation to help underprivileged kids better their futures and become strong leaders. Dave Congdon Dave Congdon is a Special Olympics athlete and an inspiration to many facing barriers and difficult times.

Drew Brees Drew Brees is a quarterback for the Saints who also works to improve the lives of children with cancer. Earl Antoine Boykins Earl Antoine Boykins is a star basketball player who has fought against the odds.