Five of the top viral moments in sport in 2024

Even by recent standards, 2024 has thrown up a remarkable number of viral moments from the world of sport.

From a 16-year-old kid from the north of England to a 58-year-old returning former heavyweight champion of the world, trying to pick just five is almost an impossible task.

Nonetheless, here are the sporting moments that got people talking more than any others in 2024.

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler wows fans with skills beyond his years

Thirteen months ago, you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone other than the most knowledgeable darts fan who knew who Luke Littler was.

Twelve months ago, you would have struggled to find anyone, at least in the United Kingdom, who didn’t.

The then-16-year-old became an overnight sensation when, in his PDC World Darts Championship debut, he went on a storming run to the final, beating the likes of five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld along the way.

The peak of Littler’s rise to viral stardom came on January 2 when he beat former champion Rob Cross in the semifinal to become the youngest player ever to reach the World Darts Championship final.

At 16 years and 347 days old, Littler topped the previous record by holder by more than four years – Kirk Shepherd was 21 years and 88 days old when he reached the final in 2008.

While “The Nuke” would ultimately lose to Luke Humphries in the final, his success propelled the sport itself to new heights – the 3.7 million people who watched the final was by far the most ever to tune in.

“Littlermania,” as promoter Barry Hearn termed it, continued throughout the year, with Littler taking his revenge on Humphries by beating him in the final of the Premier League in May.

Having already earned more than £1 million ($1.26 million) this year, Littler is currently back at the 2025 World Darts Championship, having just made it to the quarterfinals.

Taylor Swift attends Super Bowl LVIII

How do you make the Super Bowl an even bigger deal? By having Taylor Swift in attendance, it would seem.

Despite boyfriend Travis Kelce winning his second successive Vince Lombardi Trophy with the Kansas City Chiefs, many will remember Super Bowl LVIII as the one where Swift turned up.

Arriving off a flight from Tokyo just minutes before the start of the game, the singer was accompanied by fellow musical artists Lana Del Rey and Ice Spice, as well as actress Blake Lively and Travis’ brother and fellow Super Bowl winner Jason.

According to Admeter, Swift appeared on the CBS broadcast 11 times during the game, and even downed a beer on the jumbotron in front of 65,000 fans.

Following the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers, the pop star shared a kiss with Kelce on the field in one of the defining images of the year.

With an average viewership of 123.4 million people, the game was the most-watched program in US television history.

21% of Americans, and 41% of those aged 18-34, who planned to watch the game said that Swift’s presence influenced their decision, according to a poll by Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

Kim Ye-ji and Yusuf Dikeç shoot to viral stardom

Sport shooters Kim Ye-ji and Yusuf Dikeç were not newcomers to their sport. Nor were they global stars used to being in the public eye. They were simply proof that, sometimes, all you need to go viral is a large dose of main character energy.

In Kim’s case, it was a blunt bob, backwards cap and futuristic shooting glasses, which would have looked just as at home in a science-fiction movie. “I dress super plain, simple. But people tell me I look good,” she told CNN Sport in October.

The Korean’s iconic look was completed with a stuffed elephant plushie towel, which belongs to her daughter, strapped to her waist.

“When I shoot, I get gunpowder on my hand, so I wear a towel to wipe the powder.”

The now-32-year-old had the aura to match her appearance – her unflinching performance reflected that of an athlete who told reporters earlier in the year that she had “nothing to improve,” according to Yonhap News via NBC News.

“I don’t feel any pressure at all,” she added. “My confidence comes from a reason. It’s confidence based on a foundation.”

Having broken the world record in the women’s 25-meter pistol event in Baku at the ISSF World Cup in May, Kim continued her nation’s record of winning a medal in shooting at every edition of the Olympics since 2000, with a silver medal in the 10-meter air pistol event. Her compatriot Oh Ye Jin took gold.

Kim has since modeled for Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga, become Korean brand ambassador for Tesla and was even cast as an assassin in an upcoming short-form series titled “Crush.”

Dikeç was, in many ways, the polar opposite of Kim. He did not have a cap, or a plush charm, or even the high-tech shooting glasses worn by most of his competitors.

But, with just a simple yellow earplug, a pair of regular glasses and a hand in his pocket, the effect was the same – the 51-year-old became one of the viral stars of the summer.

Dikeç’s iconic stance was replicated by a series of fellow Olympians, including gold medalists Mondo Duplantis, Nina Kennedy and Rojé Stona.

It was the Turkish shooter’s fifth Olympics and, in picking up silver alongside teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan in the mixed team 10-meter air pistol event, he made history.

Not only was it his nation’s first ever medal in Olympic shooting, it also made Dikeç, at 51 years and 212 days old, the oldest Olympic medalist in Turkey’s history.

Dikeç’s motto?

“Success doesn’t come with your hands in your pockets.”

Raygun takes the world by storm

When breaking was introduced as a sport for the first time at Paris 2024, few could have predicted that it would become one of the most discussed events of the summer.

The vast majority of that discussion, rightly or wrongly, centered around one woman – Rachael Gunn, or Raygun.

The Australian breaker became an overnight sensation when she failed to register any points in any of her three battles, showcasing a series of moves – including the now-iconic kangaroo hop – which left many viewers baffled.

Singer Adele was among those who commented on one of her performances, calling it “the best thing that’s happened in the Olympics.”

“I can’t work out if it was a joke, but either way it has made me very, very happy,” she added.

“All my moves are original,” said Raygun, who is a university lecturer and wrote her PhD thesis on breaking, after competing in Paris. “Creativity is really important to me. I go out there and I show my artistry. Sometimes, it speaks to the judges, and sometimes, it doesn’t. I do my thing and it represents art. That is what it is about.”

The Australian later issued an apology for the backlash that the sport received as a whole following her performances, shortly before she was, remarkably, ranked the No. 1 breaker in the world by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) through timing and a quirk in its ranking system.

Raygun retired from competition in November citing the criticism she had received following the Games.

In December, a musical inspired by her story was shut down hours before it was due to open after lawyers representing the athlete threatened legal action.

Mike Tyson returns from retirement to fight Jake Paul

Many felt Raygun should never have been given the chance to compete, but that was nothing compared to the reaction when it was revealed that Mike Tyson was coming out of retirement to fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

There were serious concerns that Tyson, once heavyweight champion of the world but now 58 years old, would be at a higher risk of neurological damage due to his age.

Tyson even revealed after the fight that he had nearly died earlier this year, needing eight blood transfusions and a stint in the hospital.

Iron Mike did not fall in the ring, but he did lose, perhaps unsurprisingly, to the 27-year-old. It was an underwhelming fight, with Tyson throwing 97 punches and landing just 18.

“I cut it off because I couldn’t watch anymore. It’s sad to see Mike Tyson like this because I went to every Tyson fight,” wrote Magic Johnson on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This fight tonight was not great for boxing.”

“Let’s be real a young Mike Tyson would’ve absolutely annihilated Jake Paul tonight,” added Olympic gold medal boxer Nicola Adams.

Others did not agree, even alleging that Tyson deliberately threw the fight in return for a payout.

“Everyone is talking about how staged this fight was,” said Boxing Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya. “I do believe it was scripted, and I believe that Tyson was certainly held back.

“Look, I’m a fighter and I can see it. It goes on the record, and it was sanctioned, so Jake Paul paid to get the W on his record. For what? For your own personal satisfaction?”

It’s worth noting though that the fight’s promoters denied speculation of any rigged fight, saying the claims were “incorrect and baseless … illogical and inane.”

It seemed like few other than Jake Paul and a few of his most ardent fans thought that the bout was a worthwhile venture, but that didn’t stop people from tuning in to watch it.

Netflix, who streamed the fight, announced that 60 million households tuned in, peaking at 65 million concurrent streams, making it the most-streamed global sporting event in history.

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