Greatest sports personalities the world lost

From left: Kobe Bryant, Diego Maradona and Paolo Rossi were among the sports world's biggest names to leave us this year.

The sports fraternity grieved the loss of some of its greatest stars in 2020, including football legend Diego Maradona and American basketball player Kobe Bryant. The news of their untimely demise sent shockwaves across their fanbases and brought outpour of condolences from all quarters.

As a tumultuous year — marked by a pandemic, social unrest, and economic crisis — draws to a close, let’s remember some of the greatest sports personalities we lost in 2020.

Kobe Bryant

American Basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter died on January 26, 2020 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, about 48 kilometres northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The cause of the crash still remains unknown as the helicopter was not equipped with a black box. Bryant is a five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist and is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history. He is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and had helped the US won gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics.

Diego Maradona

Maradona passed away on November 25, 2020 at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack at his home in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. He had undergone brain surgery days before his death, and was being treated by doctors at his home. Maradona was renowned for his ability to control the ball and create scoring opportunities for his team. He had lead his team to the 1986 World Cup title on the back of an impressive performance that won him the Golden Ball.

Chetan Chauhan

Chauhan, a former Indian cricketer and a BJP minister, died on August 16 from COVID-19-related complications. Known for his grit and calm demeanour, Chauhan proved to be an able administrator in his various roles in the sport, as manager of the team as well as an administrator with the DDCA.

Dean Jones

Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones passed away on September 24 at the age of 59 after suffering a massive cardiac arrest in Mumbai. Through 1980s and early 1990s, Jones was regarded among the best One Day International batsmen in the world and had been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame last year. His batting was characterised by his nimble footwork and his willingness to take risks made him a trendsetter in the limited overs cricket.

Paolo Rossi

Rossi is a national hero in Italy for firing the Azzurri to a World Cup triumph in 1982.

He finished the tournament as top scorer after netting six goals, including a hat-trick in a 3-2 win over flamboyant Brazil, both goals against Poland in the semifinals and the opener in the final victory over West Germany.

At club level, ‘Pablito’ enjoyed success with Juventus, despite being banned for two years over a betting scandal.

Chuni Goswami

Goswami died on April 30, 2020 at the age of 82 in Kolkata after battling underlying ailments with diabetes, prostrate infection and neurological problems. Goswami represented Indian national team at the 1960 Summer Olympics and led the lead the team to achieve a gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games.

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