Camera Classics 2023
THE MOST MEMORABLE SPORTS PICTURES
Saluting the snappers who frame the sporting images of the year, from the school pitch to the World Cup.
Picture Perfect
Picture: Adam Pretty, Getty Images
Emperors of Rome
Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy lead the Europe celebrations after retaining an
occasionally fractious Ryder Cup at the Marco
Simone Golf and Country Club on October 1.
Picture: Matteo Ciambelli, INPHO
Handy Work
Luke Donald and his European players get reacquainted with Samuel Ryder after their impressive 16.5 to 11.5 victory in Rome at the 44th renewal of the event.
Picture: Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Flying
Haut En Couleurs sends jockey Bryan Cooper flying into the ground when holding a lead at the last fence in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Steeplechase in Thurles in January.
Picture: Healy Racing
Little Consolation
Cats have feelings too. Kilkenny’s Michelle Teehan consoles fellow corner back Tiffanie Fitzgerald after their defeat to Cork in the All-Ireland senior camogie quarter-final at Croke Park in July.
Picture: James Crombie, Inpho
Smokin
Athlete Rhasidat Adeleke enjoyed a breakout 2023, and offered the promise of so much more with an
Olympic year on the horizon. Here she links up with Allianz Insurance in a promo shoot.
Picture: Dan Sheridan, INPHO
How Many?
USA’s Noah Lyles celebrates anchoring the men’s 4x100m team to win gold and bring his tally of medals to three at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.
Picture: Morgan Treacy, INPHO
Best Foot Forward
On day four of the Galway Racing festival, Sligo lad James Wall had feet tapping in the parade ring.
Picture: Tom Maher, INPHO
New Balls Please?
USA’s Danielle Collins serves against France’s Caroline Garcia in the quarter-final of the San Diego Open on September 14.
Picture: Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images
Trapped
Mongolia’s Nyamjargal Tumendemberel pins Thailand’s Topnoi Kiwram in a flyweight UFC bout in Shanghai last May.
Picture: Zhang Lintao, Zuffa LLC
Hair-Raiser
Australia's Cassiel Rousseau competes in the final of the men's 10m platform diving event during the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on July 22.
Picture: Philip Fong, AFP via Getty Images
Standing Tall
Kilkenny fan Fionn McGivern, 2, from Antrim, studies the form in the All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Clare at Croke Park.
Picture: James Crombie, INPHO
Crushed
A tough year on the pitch for the gifted Clifford brothers, losing an All-Ireland final with Kerry and a county final with their own Fossa. There was the consolation of another Kerry SFC success with East Kerry but all of the above paled into insignificancecompared to the loss of their mam Ellen. By November, their year was eventually done, coming up just shy in Kerry’sIFC final against Milltown/Castlemaine at Austin Stack Park in Tralee.
Picture: Matthew Stockman, Getty Images
What's Up There?
One of the year’s most eye-catching shots as Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps perform in the pairs short programme at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Chongqing, China, on November 10.
Picture: Patrick Smith, Reuters
That Way?
At Taylorstown Point-to-Point in Roscommon in May, Killomeroe and Pa King go their separate ways at the 11th fence of the Older Geldings Maiden.
Picture: Healy Racing
Headliner
In one of the sporting moments of the year, certainly in an Irish context, Katie Taylor gained revenge and the world undisputed super lightweight
championship title against Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin. Best of three at Croker?
Picture: Stephen McCarthy, Sportsfile
Crushed
The likes of Paul O’Connell says he may never get over it, that devastating loss in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final to New Zealand on October 14. Because he knew, as the retiring Jonny Sexton did, that there was a World Cup in this Ireland team, and an identifiable route to its annexation. The loss was felt far and wide.
Picture: Dan Sheridan, Inpho
Tekkers and Tension
It doesn’t seem to be a proper World Cup without some class of internal Irish spat. Our debut at the Women’s World Cup in Australia had some bright moments, not least the confirmation of Katie McCabe as a talent of global proportion, but the Arsenal star had her moments too with now-departed manager Vera Pauw. This was a moment of unity as a spirited Ireland drew 0-0 with Nigeria on July 31.
Picture: Stephen McCarthy, Sportsfile
Not Cool
What is it with football federation executives and narcissistic behaviour? Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales traversed the lines of reasonable behaviour and in-the-moment excitement by kissing Jennifer Hermoso after they won the Women’s World Cup on August 20, but it took an embarrassing amount of time for him to own up to as much.
Picture: Noemi Llamas, Eurasia Sport Images, Getty Images
Centurion
Ireland’s Keith Earls capped off a memorable day for him and his family by dotting down in the corner against England, on the
occasion of his 100th cap at the Aviva Stadium on August 19.
Picture:Dan Sheridan, Inpho
Bloody Hell
One of Ireland’s top performers at the World Cup, full back Hugo Keenan, gave every last fibre (and then some) like his colleagues in pursuit of the Webb Ellis Cup.
Picture: Dan Sheridan, Inpho
Tipping Point?
Abuse of referees is a cause of concern across the sporting spectrum at this stage but the behaviour of Faruk Koca, president of MKE Ankaragucu, in striking referee Halil Umut Meler after the Turkish Super Lig game with Rizespor in Ankara on
December 11 seems an appropriate intervention for... well intervention.
Picture: Emin Sansar, Anadolu
You Cannot Be Serious
Referee Simon Hooper admitted he was ‘devastated’ after not giving Manchester City a late advantage, and the chance of a winner, in their
Premier League draw with Tottenham on December 3. Safe to assume Erling Haaland, Mateo Kovacic, and Ruben Dias agree.
Picture: James Gill, Danehouse, Getty Images
Short Shallow Breaths
At Teahupo’o in French Polynesia, Australian surfer Olivia Ottaway dives under the waves.
Teahupo’o has been hosting the WSL Tahiti Pro event for more than two decades and will next year host the surfing event for the Paris Olympic Games.
Picture: Ryan Percy, Getty Images
A Keeper's Delight
Tipperary No 1 Barry Hogan pucks out under a blood-red sky in Thurles as Tipp and Laois went at it in the Allianz Hurling League.
Picture: Sam Barnes, Sportsfile
The Ryan Line
Australia’s Ryan Callinan navigates his way through an elimination round heat in Teahupo’o, French Polynesia, in August.
Picture: Ryan Pierse, Getty Images
Get Back hair
Ireland’s Meabh Deely isn’t letting go of France’s Cyrielle Banet that easily in their Women’s Six Nations game at Musgrave Park.
Picture: Ryan Byrne, Inpho
Driving in Style
Seattle’s Mercedes Russell defends Aliyah Boston of Indiana Fever (distractions and all) in the WNBA game in June in Seattle, Washington.
Picture: Steph Chambers, Getty Images
Form-Spotting
Ahead of July’s Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh, Veronica Walsh from Kentstown, Co Meath, has everything co-ordinated.
Picture: Morgan Treacy, Inpho
What's Not to like
Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri react, presumably to the judges’ scorecards, at the free dance section of the World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan. In any
consideration for picture of the year, this has to be a podium contender
Picture: Joosep Martinson, International Skating Union, Getty Images
Up for it
At the launch of the Basketball Ireland National League season in September, EJ Sligo’s Ronald Blain with John Williams Jr take flight.
Picture: Evan Treacy, Inpho
give me pattience
Waterford manager Davy Fitzgerald reacts to a missed opportunity for his side in their Munster SHC meeting with Limerick at Semple Stadium in Thurles.
Picture: Stephen McCarthy, Inpho
I Have you
Waterford manager Davy Fitzgerald and his Tipperary counterpart (not to mention Déise predecessor) Liam Cahill after their Allianz Hurling League game at Semple Stadium.
Picture: Stephen McCarthy, Inpho
landing soon
Sir Argus (centre, with Brian Hayes up), looks set for a hard landing in Guinness Beginners Steeplechase at the Galway Races Summer Festival, alongside eventual winner Mars Harper (right, with Sam Ewing up).
Picture: Seb Daly, Sportsfile
on reflection
Kratos, with Brian Hayes up, leads Muhalhel, with Michael O’Sullivan up, during the Buckets Of Value At Tote Claiming Race at the Laytown Strand Races in Laytown, Meath.
Picture: David Fitzgerald, Sportsfile
left (on his) behind
At Lingstown point-to-point in Wexford, Mayor’s Walk and Barry O’Neill, left, power on in the 4YO mares maiden but Richieandsams Lady and Shane O’Rourke won’t be meeting them at the finishing line.
Picture: Healy Racing
There somewhere
Remarkably after this tumble and washing-machine cycle, both jockey Philip Donovan and his mount Miss Madeline emerged relatively unscathed in the Hazelwood Mares Maiden Hurdle in Sligo.
Picture: Healy Racing
Cock of the walk
At the launch of the National Hunt season at his Closutton base in Co Carlow, Willie Mullins is checking what happens when the cock crows a third time.
Picture: Morgan Treacy, Inpho
who's affraid of the big bad bulls?
In the Heineken Champions Cup last-16 in Toulouse in April, Toulouse’s Jack Willis assures his son Enzo that the Vodacom Bulls are nothing to write home about. Toulouse won 33-9.
Picture: James Crombie, Inpho
Flush
Welterweight Rashidi Ellis is caught cold by Roiman Villa in their IBF World Title Eliminator bout at Washington DC’s Capital One Arena in January.
Picture: Patrick Smith, Getty Images
Not so fast
Kilkenny’s Martin Keoghan tries desperately to deny possession to Limerick’s Dan Morrissey in the All-Ireland SHC final in July. If the eyes
had it, Dan’s just had his pocket picked. Ray McManus, of Sportsfile, had the same moment, perfectly captured.
Picture: James Crombie, Inpho
Catch us if you can
Kerry tried to go back-to-back in July but Dublin learned a thing or two about squeezing out tight games en route to six consecutive All-Ireland SFC wins — like how to perfect big-day performances. Cormac Costello enjoys the booty.
Picture: Morgan Treacy, Inpho
Man for all seasons
There wasn’t much sign of summer but all other seasons were well represented on a bizarre Sunday at the Gaelic Grounds in December when Castlehaven won their first Munster Club SFC since 1997, beating Dingle on penalties. Damien Cahalance even went in goal to save a pen or two, having scored a couple himself (one in sudden death, since you asked). The Haven never led in regulation or extra time. Beat that.
Picture: Brendan Moran, Sportsfile
Tight Corner
In the men’s downhill at the Ski World Cup in Kitzbuehel, Austria, Liechtenstein’s Nico Gauer learns that trouble lurks around
unseen corners.
Picture: Lisa Leutner, Reuters
Golden Pound
A crew rowing on the River Lee in Cork on a sunny morning.
Picture: Denis Minihane
City slickers
Presentation Brothers Cork’s Tom Coughlan being challenged by Christian Brothers College players Eanna McCarthy and Chris Barrett in the Pinergy Munster Schools Senior Cup at Musgrave Park.
Picture: Denis Minihane
Troppa Gioia (or too much)
Napoli fans are overcome either by the smoke or more likely, clinching their first Serie A title since 1990 last May.
Picture: Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters
Star Lit
Tipperary’s Noel McGrath and Cork’s Ger Mellerick looking for the nudge of the sliotar in their favour during the Munster SHC clash
between the old rivals at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Picture: David Fitzgerald, Sportsfile
Deep Dive
Ireland’s Clare Cryan plunges in the Women’s 3m springboard diving event at World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on July 20.
Picture: Francois-Xavier Mari, AFP via Getty Images
Drop Of Claret
American welterweight Giovani Santillan lands one on the nose of Alexis Rocha at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Santillan closed it out in six.
Picture: Cris Esqueda, Golden Boy, Getty Images
On a Clare Day
The Allianz League was launched at the Cliffs of Moher though Kerry’s Paul Geaney might have pointed out the virtues of, say Clogher Beach on the Dingle Peninsula. It didn’t detract in the end, mind.
Picture: Dan Sheridan, Inpho
Balanced Swing
Spain’s Juan Postigo on the fifth hole at the G4D Open on the Duchess course at Woburn, England, in May.
Picture: Luke Walker, R&A via Getty Images
Going to the well
A tough shift up front for the Sunday’s Well Rebels at the IRFU Mixed Ability rugby tournament at Buccaneers RFC, Co Westmeath, in June.
Picture: Tom Maher, INPHO
Exultation
Offaly’s Grainne Walsh (Spartacus Boxing Club) gets the judges’ verdict over Amy Broadhurst, St Bronagh’s ABC, Louth, in their welterweight bout at the IABA National Elite Championship finals at Dublin’s National Stadium.
Picture: Seb Daly, Sportsfile
All white on the night
Kildare’s Grace Clifford celebrates winning the All-Ireland ladies intermediate football championship final against Clare at Croke Park on August 13
Picture: Seb Daly, Sportsfile
Magic mike
Stephen Kenny’s reign as Irish manager had many of these nearly moments. Late in the day at home to France in March, visiting goalkeeper Mike Maignan claws one out from under the bar from Nathan Collins’ header which would have claimed a Euro 2024 qualifying point.
Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach, Sportsfile
rebels on tour
Cork City supporters celebrate their opener in the fraught Premier Division promotion/relegation playoff game against Munster rivals Waterford in Tallaght Stadium. The Cork celebrations would not last.
Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Irish Examiner Longread
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