And there we have it – another record-breaking weekend in the world of sport.
Nikola Jokić made NBA history with yet another triple-double, whilst cycling royalty Mark Cavendish bowed out from the sport in a fairytale ending.
Coco Gauff showed why she is one of the most resilient young athletes in the world, and Kyler Murray continues to go from strength to strength as he set an Arizona Cardinals franchise record on Sunday against the New York Jets.
Here are five athletes who stood out this weekend.
Nikola Jokić
Jokić recorded a historic stat line on Sunday to power the Denver Nuggets narrowly past the Dallas Mavericks. The three-time and current reigning MVP put up 37 points to go with 18 rebounds and 15 assists – the first person to achieve this stat line in NBA history - as the 2023 NBA champions won 122-120 in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals.
This was the Serb’s 137th career NBA triple-double, and remarkably it was the 52nd time he’d racked up a triple-double before the fourth quarter. Jokić was perfect from three-point range – hitting all three of his attempts, as well as going eight of eight from the free-throw line.
He started off hot right away, recording six assists in the first quarter alone, and was scoring at will with his typically composed array of jump-stop finishes, floaters and pivots.
Whilst a lot had been made of the Denver Nuggets’ inconsistent start, they have now won their last five games in a row – and Jokić has recorded a triple-double in his last four outings.
Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United’s Portuguese talisman looked to be getting back to his best in his team’s 3-0 win against Leicester City on Sunday – the last game of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim era before new boss Ruben Amorim takes the Old Trafford hot seat.
Involved in all three goals, Fernandes opened the scoring in style by curling a sublime effort from outside the box into the bottom corner after some neat link up play with the impressive Amad Diallo. Fernandes then claimed a second goal, but it was ruled as a Victor Kristiansen own goal.
Fernandes also got the assist for Manchester United’s third goal, carrying the ball up field before picking out winger Alejandro Garnacho, who finished into the top corner with aplomb. Manchester United’s number eight was everywhere on the pitch on Sunday, making seven key passes to go with four tackles in an all-action midfield display.
The Manchester United faithful will hope that Fernandes can keep up his fine form when his compatriot Amorim takes charge of the Red Devils later this month, as the club attempts to rectify its worst start to a Premier League campaign.
Mark Cavendish
Cavendish, the most successful sprinter in cycling history, closed out his glittering career with one final victory in his last race before retirement at the Tour de France Singapore Criterium.
Before the race, the 39-year-old received a guard of honor from the other riders as he cycled between them wearing number 35 in honor of his record for stage wins in the Tour de France.
This victory was the 165th of the Brit’s career, The Associated Press reported, and he had to see off the impressive Jasper Philipsen and Arnaud De Lie in the unforgiving Singaporean heat and humidity.
The Criterium took place over 25 laps of a 2.3-kilometer course totaling 57.5km (35.7 miles). The race culminated in a fairytale sprint finish, with Cavendish overtaking Philipsen at the last corner. After the race, Cavendish shared a kiss with his wife Peta before celebrating with his teammates and the other riders.
Coco Gauff
Gauff played some of the best tennis of her career in an electrifying comeback as she defeated Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng to become the youngest player to win the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova 20 years ago in a blockbuster season-ending finale.
In the final set, Zheng was only two points away from victory over Gauff, but the former US Open champion fought hard to secure her ninth career title. Gauff’s victory sees her maintain a perfect 7-0 record in finals since 2023.
Down 2-0 and 5-3 in the final set, Gauff refused to give in and showed a huge amount of determination and resilience to take it to a tie-breaker. After three hours and four minutes, she finally sealed the victory with a forehand winner in one of the matches of the season. It marks a positive end to a tumultuous season for the talented American, who failed to reach a grand slam final this year.
Aged 20, Gauff is the youngest American to win the WTA Finals since Serena Williams in 2001.
Kyler Murray
“The quarterback was the best player on the planet today.” Those were the words of Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon after Murray turned in a franchise record-setting performance against the New York Jets.
Murray was almost flawless in Sunday’s game, completing 22 of his 24 pass attempts and making a franchise-record 17 consecutive completions.
He recovered from a big hit by Jets linebacker Quincy Williams that sent his helmet flying to then throw Marvin Harrison Jr. a perfectly placed touchdown pass shortly afterwards. Murray also became the first player in NFL history to complete at least 85% of his passes for at least 250 yards while also running for two touchdowns.
His 91.7% pass completion rate is the second highest in Cardinals history and he did not commit a turnover in the game. Playing with an assured confidence that is a marked difference from his first few years in the NFL, Murray has reached a new level and does not appear to be slowing down any time soon.
