7 memorable moments in Welsh sporting history

Welsh sport enjoyed arguably its greatest day on Sunday when cyclist Geraint Thomas was crowned the Tour de France champion.

Thomas crossed the line alongside Chris Froome to confirm his final margin of victory at one minute 51 seconds over Team Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at seven previous unforgettable Welsh sporting moments.

Cardiff City win FA Cup (Wembley, 1927)

Cardiff’s stunning 1-0 victory against overwhelming favourites Arsenal 91 years ago remains the only time the FA Cup has left England. Arsenal, who had just been taken over by Herbert Chapman, were rocked by Hughie Ferguson’s 74th-minute goal, which was gifted to Cardiff when Gunners goalkeeper Dan Lewis’ handling blunder saw the ball squirm from his grasp.

Wales beat New Zealand (Cardiff, 1953)

The Wales rugby team, captained by centre Bleddyn Williams and inspired by fly-half Cliff Morgan, gave the country an early Christmas present as they beat revered New Zealand 13-8 at Cardiff Arms Park, with wing Ken Jones scoring a late winning try to see Wales home. The magnitiude of the feat is underlined by Wales not having beaten New Zealand in 30 subsequent attempts.

Lynn Davies wins Olympic long jump gold (Tokyo, 1964)

‘Lynn the Leap’ guaranteed his place in Welsh sporting folklore by being crowned long jump champion at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Davies, from Nantymoel near Bridgend, posted 8.07 metres to take gold. He went on to become a two-time winner of BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Ian Woosnam wins the US Masters (Augusta, 1991)

Golfer Woosnam, from Oswestry in Shropshire, won the US Masters in brilliant fashion, claiming a one-shot victory from Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal. Scores of 66 and 67 in rounds two and three underpinnned Woosnam’s triumph.

Joe Calzaghe unifies super-middleweight titles (Manchester, 2006)

Newbridge’s world champion boxer Calzaghe reserved his best for American star Jeff Lacy at Manchester’s MEN Arena. Dubbed as ”Judgement Day’, it became a Calzaghe masterclass as he pummelled Lacy into submission to claim a comprehensive victory, landing more than 1,000 punches on the American. Calzaghe later retired with a professional record of 46 wins and no defeats.

Nicole Cooke wins Olympic cycling gold (Beijing, 2008)

Swansea-born cyclist Cooke won Britain’s first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics when she claimed a brilliant victory in a thrilling women’s road race. Cooke timed her finish perfectly, storming clear from Emma Johansson and Tatiana Guderzo to cross the line in a time of three hours, 32 minutes and 24 seconds.

Wales beat Belgium to reach Euro 2016 semi-final (Lille, 2016)

The greatest night in Wales’ soccer history saw them reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time by stunning Euro 2016 opponents Belgium. After going a goal down, Wales responded magnificently, equalising through captain Ashley Williams and then going ahead following a brilliant Hal Robson-Kanu finish, courtesy of a Johan Cruyff-style turn and finish. Sam Vokes’ header sealed a 3-1 win, sending Wales into a last-four clash against Portugal.