Paris (AFP)

From Argentinian footballer Emiliano Sala to Raymond Poulidor via Niki Lauda, ​​many sportsmen, managers and other sports figures died in 2018. A look back at the main disappearances of the past year in the world of sport.

JANUARY

- Emiliano Sala, 28 years old

The Argentinian footballer died on January 21 in the plane crash that took him to his new club. The Nantes player had been transferred to Cardiff for an amount of 17 million euros. First missing, the bodies of Sala and the pilot of the plane had been found at the beginning of February by 67 meters deep, about twenty kilometers north of the Channel Island of Guernsey. The two clubs of Nantes and Cardiff are torn apart since the payment of the transfer.

- Hidekichi Miyazaki, 108 years old

The Japanese, nicknamed "Golden Bolt" after his world record in the 100 m over 105 years, died on January 23. In 2015, the one who had started running at the age of 90, had run the 100 m in 42 sec 22/100 in his city of Kyoto, setting the first world record for over 105 years.

FEBRUARY

- Gordon Banks, 81

The goalkeeper of the 1966 World Cup victorious English soccer team died in his sleep on February 12. Considered one of the best goalkeepers in the history of football, he was particularly illustrated by achieving the "stop of the century" against King Pelé during the 1970 World Cup.

- Matti Nykanen, 55 years old

The Finn, quadruple Olympic ski jumping champion, died on February 4. A gold and silver medalist at the Olympic Games in Sarajevo (ex-Yugoslavia) in 1984, Nykanen made history at the Calgary Games in 1988 by winning the small and large springboard events and the team competition. In addition to his Olympic titles, he also had six world champion titles and 46 World Cup victories, winning the crystal globe four times. But after his sporting retirement, he lost ground, regularly making the front pages of the judicial chronicles because of his escapades.

MARCH

Kelly Catlin, 23

The triple world champion in team cycling pursuit killed herself on March 7. She suffered from depression. With the American team, she notably won the world title in 2016, 2017 and 2018 as well as a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

APRIL

Billy McNeill, 79

The former Celtic captain, winner of the European Cup of Champion Clubs in 1967, died on April 22. He had had dementia for several years. Player and then coach, McNeill won a total of 31 trophies during his Celtic career, including the 1967 C1, the first of a British club.

MAY

- Niki Lauda, ​​70 years old

The three-time Formula 1 world champion died on May 20, eight months after undergoing a lung transplant. The Austrian had inhaled toxic fumes after being trapped in his burning cockpit during a spectacular accident on the German Nürburgring circuit in 1976, which had also caused burns to his face and hands. After receiving the last sacraments, the car driver had recovered in a miraculous way, to the point of returning to the circuits only six weeks after the tragedy. Already world champion in 1975, Lauda had subsequently won two other world titles in 1977 and 1984.

JUNE

- Jose Antonio Reyes, 35 years old

The former Spanish international died on June 1 in a car accident between Seville and Utrera. In particular, Reyes was the only player to have won a record five-time UEFA Cup / Europa League competition, lifting the trophy for the last time with his Sevilla training club in 2016. He was also a member of the Arsenal Invincibles , undefeated in the league in 2003/04, and Real Madrid with which they won La Liga in 2007.

JULY

- James Small, 50

The former Springbok winger, world rugby champion in 1995 against the All Blacks in front of Nelson Mandela, died after a heart attack on July 10. He made his debut in 1992 in the green and gold jersey, which he then wore 47 times, scoring 20 tries until 1997.

- Pernell Whitaker, 55

The American boxer, Olympic champion in 1984 and world champion in four different categories (light, super-light, welterweight and super-welterweight), died on July 14 after being accidentally run over by a car. Considered one of the most talented boxers of his generation, he had disputed during his career 46 professional fights for a record of 40 victories, including 17 before the limit, four defeats, a draw and a no contest.

AUGUST

- Jean-Claude Bouttier, 74 years old

The former French boxer, who died on August 3, had become famous thanks in particular to his fruitless but epic fights for the world title against Carlos Monzon, on June 17, 1972 and on September 29, 1973. In his career as a professional boxer, Bouttier disputed 72 fights for 64 victories (including 43 KO), 1 draw and 7 defeats. In particular, in January 1971 he became French champion of the middleweight before winning the European title five months later. After ending his professional career, in 1980 he became a consultant on Canal +, a position he held for more than 30 years.

- Felice Gimondi, 76 years old

The former Italian cycling world champion succumbed to a heart attack on August 16 while swimming in Sicily. The Bergamasque, one of the seven riders in the history of cycling to have won the three major laps (Giro, Tour de France, Vuelta), has embodied Italian cycling for almost five decades. Class champion, he had become a listened to and influential leader.

- Jessi Combs, 39

The car driver, considered "the fastest woman in the world", killed herself in a car accident on August 27 while trying to beat her own speed record. It set this record in 2013 while driving at 398 miles / h (641 km / h).

- Anthoine Hubert, 22 years old

The French racing driver died on August 31 from a high-speed pileup on the second lap of the first of two F2 races scheduled at Spa-Francorchamps, in Belgium. Born in Lyon, Hubert was notably champion of France in F4 in 2013 and then GP3 Series in 2018. He was also a development driver for Renault within the "Renault Sport Academy".

SEPTEMBER

Chester Williams, 49

The former left winger of the South African rugby team died of a heart attack on September 6. Williams was the only Black Springbok player in the 1995 World Cup victory. Symbol of the new post-apartheid nation wanted by Nelson Mandela, it is the fourth member of this team to die before the age of 50, after James Small (July 2019), Joost Van Der Westhuizen (February 2017) and Ruben Kruger (2009).

OCTOBER

- Andres Gimeno, 82 years old

The former Spanish tennis player died on October 9. He was the oldest Roland-Garros winner during the professional era. He had won the French Grand Slam tournament in 1972, when he was 34 years and 10 months old. He also reached the Australian Open final in 1969 and the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1970.

- Marieke Vervoort, 40 years old

The Belgian Paralympic athlete, who was crowned 100m at the London Games in 2012, died by euthanasia on October 22. Suffering from a rare disease that gradually paralyzed his legs, Vervoort had expressed his intentions regarding his end of life after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, explaining his fight in the face of constant pain that left him hardly sleep. During her sports career, the Flemish had, in addition to the Olympic title in London, notably been triple world champion in wheelchair (100 m, 200 m, 400 m) in 2015.

NOVEMBER

- Raymond Poulidor, 83 years old

The French cyclist, who died on November 13, had managed to find a place in the hearts of the public far beyond the mere lovers of the Little Queen. Often perceived as the eternal runner-up despite a fine track record, "Poupou" will be remembered as one of the legends of French cycling, although he has never won the Tour de France. Between 1964 and 1976, he finished three times second in the Grande Boucle and five times third, in a period dominated by Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil. Forty years after retiring from sport at the end of a career during which he won 189 titles, the native of Creuse still appeared at the start of the stages of the Tour and continued to sign autographs to admirers of all ages.

- Daniel Leclercq, 70 years old

The French football coach, who notably led RC Lens to the title of French champion in 1998, died on November 22. Nicknamed the "Druid", as much for his technical qualities as for his physique recognizable by his sparse white hair, he died of pulmonary embolism. After a career as a central defender, notably in Marseille (1970-1971 then 1972-1974) then Lens (1974-1983), he became a coach at the end of the 80s. A native of the North, Leclercq spent his entire career in coach in this region and in neighboring Belgium, with in particular a mandate as coach of Lens (1997-1999) then as sports director of the artesian club (2008-2011) and two visits to Valenciennes (1986-1987 then 2003-2005) .

DECEMBER

- Peter Snell, 80 years old

The New Zealand middle distance athlete died on December 12. The triple Olympic champion had suffered from heart problems for several years. He had won gold in the only three Olympic events he competed in: the 800 meters in Rome in 1960 and the 800 meters and 1,500 meters in Tokyo four years later. He was the first male athlete to complete the 800m / 1,500m double at the Olympics since 1920, a feat no male athlete has achieved since.

- Ibrahim Diarra, 36 years old

Former international Ibrahim Diarra died on December 18 at the age of 36 from a heart attack. The third line was crowned champion of France in 2013 with Castres where he played from 2009 to 2016. He once wore the jersey of the Blues in 2008, against Italy, during a meeting of the Six Nations Tournament. Revealed in Montauban (2005-2009), he ended his career with two almost white seasons in Pau (2016-2017), then Lavaur (2017-2018).

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