From Xyza News for Kids
Fan of golf? Perhaps, perhaps not, but there’s a reason why people around the world are talking about professional golf this week. Two words: Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods is considered one of the greatest professional golfers, but it’s been eleven years since his last major win. Yes, it’s been quite a long time, but he wasn’t relaxing and taking a long break. It’s been a tough decade for Woods, sustaining knee and back injuries, among other setbacks both personal and professional. But he never gave up. After a number of surgeries, he fought his way back to the golf course again. Many doubted his ability to come back to the world of professional golf. After all, even the greatest athletes have to call it quits sometimes when their bodies have sustained too much injury. But Tiger Woods did come back. On April 14th, he proudly put on that green sports coat (something that is gifted to the winner of the Masters) after winning his first major victory in over a decade at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Just goes to show how determination, hard work, and a little bit of grit can get you to where you want to be.
Tiger’s not the only one who’s made an incredible comeback in the sporting world. Check out these other comeback stories:
Monica Seles: In 1993, she was the world’s #1 female professional tennis player. During a match on April 30th, 1993, she was stabbed in the back by a spectator, but she returned to the court and began competing again two years later.
Bethany Hamilton: She was an up-and-coming world surf champion when she was bitten by a shark while surfing. She survived the attack, but lost her left arm. It took her a long time to recover, but she continued to surf competitively after the accident.
George Foreman: He’s arguably one of the greatest boxers in the world, and after retiring in 1977, he returned to professional boxing at thirty-eight years old. Many doubted that he could make a comeback, but at forty-five, he won another world title, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing.
Michael Jordan: He’s a legendary basketball player whose father was murdered in 1993. Overcome with grief from the loss of his father, he decided to retire from basketball. After playing in minor league baseball (yes, we said baseball!) for a season, he decided to play professional basketball again. It took him one season to get back to playing like he did before he retired. After that, he helped the Chicago Bulls win three world championships in a row.
