Sport in 2024: Heartbreak in Berlin, jubilation in Paris, and hope at Headingley

And in the storied German capital it was Gareth Southgate’s boys, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, falling agonisingly short just as they had three years earlier on home soil. This time it was Spain who won every game en route to the final and broke Three Lions’ hearts in the final, five minutes from time.

Spirits were not low for long, though. For within a fortnight, the Olympic Games in Paris were upon us and new heroes and dependable stars were there for a nation to celebrate.

Yorkshire’s superstar cyclist Tom Pidcock won a thrilling gold in the mountain bike. Keely Hodgkinson streaked to the title in the 800m on the track.

Andy Murray, pictured, wowed us one last time with victories grasped from the jaws of defeat before he eventually succumbed to the inevitable, and on the global scene, home favourite Leon Marchand ruled the waves at the La Defense Arena, his every stroke cheered fervently by the eager French crowds as swimming’s new phenom won four gold medals.

On the track, Noah Liles is the new fastest man in the world after winning an Olympic final in which all eight sprinters were separated by just 12 one hundredths of a second. St Lucia’s Julien Alfred won the women’s blue riband.

At the Paralympics back in Paris in September, Halifax’s Hurricane Hannah Cockroft reminded the world why she remains untouchable in a sprint wheelchair, with gold medals numbers eight and nine.

Back on home soil and in the heat of summer, Murray bid a fond farewell to Wimbledon on a tearful Thursday night on Centre Court.

The men’s final had an air of a passing of the torch about it, as Novak Djokovic was beaten by tennis’s new force Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in straight sets. Djokovic would at least get revenge in the Olympic final three weeks later, claiming the only prize to have eluded him in his groundbreaking career.

In the women’s final at the All England Club, Czech 31st seed Barbora Krejcikova won the Wimbledon singles title by beating Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2 2-6 6-4, who at least fared better than she had a month earlier in the French Open final.

Golf’s Open Championship headed to Troon and for three days it was a man from Northallerton who set the pace, Dan Brown, the 30-year-old everyman led after day one and again in awful conditions on the Ayreshire coast on Saturday, before he eventually faded into a tie for 10th.

By then, the heavyweights had taken charge, Justin Rose challenged for a second major and Billy Horshel a first, but ultimately they came up short as American Xander Schauffele put his foot on the pedal on the back nine to add the Claret Jug to the PGA Championship he had won in May; Americans completing a clean sweep in the majors after Scottie Scheffler won at Augusta and Bryson DeChambeau exploited Rory McIlroy’s misfortune at the US Open.

After a spring and early summer in which they couldn’t convert draws into wins in Division Two of the County Championship, Yorkshire also put their foot down and raced to promotion in August and September.

With the departure of Ottis Gibson at the end of the season announced, Yorkshire’s squad thought to hell with it and sent him out on a high, winning five of their last seven matches to storm into second spot.

Anthony McGrath inherits a squad looking upwards in Division One next year.

There was another daring run to a championship in Super League, where Hull Kingston Rovers almost defied a history in which they had not won a trophy for 39 years by challenging rugby league’s super power status quo in pushing Wigan Warriors all the way in the league standings to finish second, and then edging out Warrington Wolves to set up a Grand Final at Old Trafford. A moment of magic from Bevan French broke their hearts and extended the trophy drought, but friends were made, respect was won and at least their star turn Mikey Lewis was named Man of Steel.

One Yorkshire team was celebrating, though, as York Valkyrie upset the odds to beat St Helens in the women’s Grand Final.

At snooker’s UK Championship at the Barbican in York, Judd Trump underlined his status as one of the best in the game by beating Barry Hawkins 10-8 in the final.

The ying and yang of Bazball was exposed towards the end of the year in a series defeat in Pakistan and a victory in New Zealand, in which there England produced some wildly erratic performances.