The year will go down as one in which several Canberra athletes announced themselves on the big stage, capturing the imagination not only of the city but of all Australian sports fans. We've analysed the year that was to bring you the highlights and lowlights in Canberra sport.
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BIGGEST TRIUMPHS
BREEN BREAKS AUSTRALIAN RECORD
Australia's fastest woman has a nice ring to it. Snubbed by Athletics Australia, which did not view her as a worthwhile investment, Melissa Breen proved her doubters wrong by breaking Melinda-Gainsford Taylor's 20-year-old 100-metre national record at February's ACT championships. Breen took advantage of ideal conditions to clock 11.11 seconds, pipping the 11.12 seconds clocked by Gainsford-Taylor in 1994. Breen had lost her Athletics Australia funding late last year, and her accomplishment sparked widespread publicity demanding she get more support. She failed to make the Commonwealth Games final in September, indicating she still needed to prove herself on the big stage under pressure. She is better placed to do so after Athletics Australia included her in the second-tier Podium Potential category for the first time on her 24th birthday in September.
MILLS ACHIEVES NBA GLORY
Was it the most important five minutes in Australian basketball history? You could certainly make a case for it after Patrick Mills' third-term heroics helped San Antonio Spurs seal the NBA title in game five of the finals against Miami Heat. Mills fired 11 of his 17 points in the third quarter to blow the game wide open for the Spurs. In the middle of the football season, social media exploded as a nation congratulated its latest international star. His three-point blitz even prompted ESPN commentators to highlight his Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage during a break in play. Mills was named young Canberran of the year, and even visited the capital with the NBA trophy.
KYRGIOS COMES OF AGE ON BIG STAGE
Not even his mother Nill believed he could beat Rafael Nadal, but Nick Kyrgios shocked the tennis world with a stunning fourth round win over the former world No.1 at Wimbledon. It sparked worldwide acclaim, prompting greats such as Andy Murray and John McEnroe to anoint him a future top-10 star. Kyrgios eventually fell to Milos Raonic in the quarter finals, but he had already done enough to confirm his reputation as Australia's next big thing. His showmanship, in particular the audacious "tweener" stroke that went viral, makes him the complete package. After the match, Nadal said: "For me is very easy to say he can be top 10."
MAGUIRE TAKES RABBITOHS TO PROMISED LAND
Michael Maguire's playing career ended prematurely with a neck injury, but the Rabbitohs coach achieved a feat none of his predecessors could for 43 years by leading Souths to premiership glory. Not bad for a young coach who began his career as a strength and conditioning coach for Canberra Raiders. A solid apprenticeship under Craig Bellamy at Melbourne Storm followed, and his effort to guide Wigan to the 2010 Super League premiership helped him land the Souths gig. The image of Sam Burgess, with a busted cheekbone, crying with happiness after the game is one of the most memorable of 2014. The man pulling the strings behind the scenes was the former physical education teacher from the capital.
CANBERRA UNITED SEALS SECOND TITLE IN FOUR YEARS
Entering the last round of the season, Canberra United was not even a lock to make the finals. But once it got there, it made it count with a superb 3-1 demolition of heavy favourites Perth Glory in the final out west. Ashleigh Sykes was unstoppable, scoring twice in the second half to lock up United's second W-League premiership in four years. Their semi-final win over Melbourne Victory was even more intense, the ladies in green prevailing in a tense penalty shootout after two scoreless hours of play. In a year that featured plenty of individual accomplishments, it was the sole title won by a Canberra national league team.
IN CROKER THE RAIDERS TRUST
The last thing the Raiders can be described as is consistent. But it was living up to that "c" word that helped Jarrod Croker eventually earn the "c" beside his name for next season. At 24, Croker was recently confirmed as the Green Machine's youngest captain. Not a bad string to your bow given his predecessors include legends Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart. Injuries and form permitting, he looks a near certainty to smash former coach David Furner's Raiders' point-scoring record. Namesake Jason, who holds the club's games record, may also be looking over his shoulder in a few years time. Croker was named as a shadow player for NSW Origin this year, and won the Mal Meninga Medal as Canberra's best and fairest. His rise has made a mockery of calls for him to be dropped for his defence in the not-so-distant past.
BUCHANAN CONTINUES WORLD DOMINATION
Melissa Breen may be our fastest woman on two feet, but Caroline Buchanan is arguably our best on two wheels. The multi-talented thrill seeker won another BMX Supercross World Cup title, and a silver medal in the BMX time trial at the worlds. Her next big mission is the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, where she hopes to atone for her London heartache after she finished outside the medals as favourite.
TOPOR-STANLEY LEADS WANDERERS TO THE TOP
It was the biggest shock result in Australian sport this year, and the man who led the A-Leaguers to Asian Champions League glory was the defender who learnt his trade playing for Canberra FC. Nikolai Topor-Stanley skippered the Wanderers to the biggest prize in Asian club football with a gutsy 1-0 win over Al-Hilal in the final. The coach of the Saudi Arabian giants, Laurentiu Reghecampf, dismissed the Wanderers as a "small club" before the game.. He ended up with egg on his face.
ROGERS GOES FROM BASEMENT TO PENTHOUSE
When he was banned for four months at the end of last year for testing positive to clenbuterol, Michael Rogers was "staring down the barrel of the death of his cycling career". Later cleared of any wrongdoing after it was determined it came from contaminated meat, Rogers went from his lowest low to his highest high by winning his maiden Tour de France leg. The 35-year-old went clear in the breakaway and pulled off a near perfect front running ride to claim the 237.5km 16th stage from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon. It came just months after he also broke through for his first two stage victories at the Giro d'Italia. Next on his wish list is next month's Tour Down Under.
MATTHEWS CONTINUES RAPID RISE
The man known as "Bling" might still be spewing about missing the Tour de France due to a training crash, but Michael Matthews can't have too many complaints about a year in which he continued his path towards becoming one of the best riders in the world. He won two stages at the Giro d'Italia – including a team time trial – and wore the pink jersey as the overall leader for six days. It was a similar story at the Vuelta a Espana, where he also won a stage and led the race for three days, and then he finished 14th in the elite men's road race at the World Championships in Spain. Next year is shaping up to be a special one.