From Ali to Jordan: What are the most astonishing sporting comebacks in history

Memorable moments
Number of factors
The athletes
Ben Hogan
Best work post-accident
Simone Biles
Four golds in her return
Tyson Fury
World Champ again
Tiger Woods
Resurrection
Michael Jordan
Three peats again
Muhammed Ali
Beating the decades best
Who's next?
Memorable moments

Over the years, some of sports GOATs have created memorable moments for fans, resurrecting from the bottom and flying back to the top.

Number of factors

Retirement, banned, injured. No one would have expected these athletes to get back to return to the sport, never mind making it to the top.

The athletes

Here are the athletes who not only have returned to their sport but made it back to the number one spot!

Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan is one of the greatest golfers, gaining notability for his golf swing and career wins. In 1949, after winning three majors already, Hogan was involved in a life-changing car crash and told he may not be able to walk again.

Best work post-accident

59 days after the accident and surviving terrible blood clots, Hogan returned to the course against all odds. He would win six major championships, including three of the four in 1953. His 64 PGA wins is fourth all-time.

Simone Biles

Simone Biles has had a terrible couple of years in the gymnastics world, leaving the sport for a couple of years due to developing the 'twisties,' a loss of aerial awareness when performing somersaults.

Four golds in her return

Biles made her return to the gym a couple of weeks back at the Artistic Gymnastic World Championships, winning four gold medals and a silver, becoming the most decorated athlete at the world championships with 30 total medals.

Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury believed he had reached the top of the pile when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, but a dark three-year path, where he weighed nearly 25 stone, developed a drug addiction, and had suicidal thoughts, no one believed he would survive never mind box again.

World Champ again

In 2018, Fury started his comeback trail and has returned to the top of the sport, taking the WBC title away from Deontay Wilder after an enthralling trilogy and continuing to go undefeated.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is the undisputed GOAT of golf, dominating the sport from 1997 until 2008, winning 14 major championships. Despite that, a painful divorce from his long-time wife, serious car crashes, and being arrested for reckless driving took him to the bottom of the sport.

Resurrection

After a turbulent ten years of missed tournaments, missed cuts, and personal injuries, Woods defied all odds, winning The Masters in 2019, his first major in 11 years and his 15th overall. He became the second oldest player to win The Masters in history.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan dominated the NBA in the 90s and looked to have gotten over the hump after a tough spell in the late 80s against the Detroit Pistons. However, after winning in 91, 92, and 93, Jordan retired after his father died and played baseball.

Three peats again

When his father died, fans didn't believe he would return to the sport as he left it. Jordan missed 18 months playing baseball, but the critics were wrong. He would go on to three-peat again in 96, 97, and 98.

Muhammed Ali

Muhammed Ali is one of the greatest boxers and civil rights campaigners in history, using his status to push for equality in America in the 1960s. He condemned the Vietnam War and refused to go and fight, meaning he lost his boxing license.

Beating the decades best

By the time Ali was reinstated, it was the 1970s, and Ali made a comeback like he hadn't left, beating the decades best Joe Frazier and George Foreman. He fought until 1981.

Who's next?

These athletes have provided the world with memories you can't forget. Who will be the next athlete to resurrect and return to the top?

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