(Reuters) – ON THIS DAY — JUNE 3
June 3, 1992
BASKETBALL – Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan shrugs after sinking a record sixth three-pointer during the first half of the first game of the NBA Finals against Portland Trail Blazers in Chicago.
Jordan scored 35 points in the first two quarters to set a record for most points in one half of a playoff game, surpassing Elgin Baylor’s mark of 33. His shrug towards the broadcasting booth became one of the most memorable images of the series.
Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA titles between 1991 and 1998 and was named Finals Most Valuable Player on each occasion.
June 3, 1995
RUGBY UNION – France’s Emile Ntamack scores a last-minute, game-winning try against Scotland during their Rugby World Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria.
Ntamack’s try coupled with five penalties from Thierry Lecroix lifted France to a 22-19 victory. They topped their group and beat Ireland in the quarter-finals but had to settle for third place after losing to South Africa in the semis.
Ntamack won 46 caps between 1994 and 2000 and was part of their grand slam-winning side in 1997. He retired in 2004.
June 3, 1997
SOCCER – Brazil defender Roberto Carlos celebrates with team mates after scoring with a stunning free kick in a 1-1 draw against the hosts in the Tournoi de France in Lyon.
Roberto Carlos gave Brazil the lead in the 21st minute when he scored from 35 metres, putting such a swerve on the ball with the outside of his left foot that it bent to the right around the French four-man wall and curled in off the post.
It was his second goal for Brazil in 30 internationals and is among his most memorable. “I always practice, every day. I prefer to kick with the outside of my foot. There’s no secret, it’s (a question of) concentration,” he said.
June 3, 2001
GOLF – Australian Karrie Webb kisses the trophy after winning the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Golf Club in Southern Pines.
Webb, the defending champion, carded a seven-under-par 273, finishing eight strokes ahead of South Korean Pak Se for the biggest victory margin in 21 years.
With the win, Webb became the seventh player to lift back-to-back U.S. Women’s Open titles.
June 3, 2007
MOTOGP – Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi kisses the trophy after winning the Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello Circuit for the sixth straight year.
The seven-times world champion was slow off the start line, but after hitting the front on the ninth lap he gradually eased away from his rivals, finishing over three seconds ahead of second-placed Daniel Pedrosa.
The win meant Rossi equalled Australian Mick Doohan’s record of six Italian Grand Prix victories before making it his own the following year when he won the race for a seventh time.
June 3, 2012
GOLF – Tiger Woods reacts after a birdie on the 16th hole during the final round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
After a slow start, Woods produced a stunning turnaround, birdieing three of his last four holes to overcome a two stroke deficit and claim a two-shot victory over Rory Sabbatini.
Woods tied Jack Nicklaus on 73 PGA Tour wins before surpassing him by winning the AT&T National a month later.
June 3, 2012
YACHTING – A yacht from the Clipper Round The World race sails past the Statue of Liberty during a ceremonial parade in the Hudson River, New York.
The race, which required amateur crews to circumnavigate the globe in eight legs, covered over 40,000 miles and took a year to complete.
Several yachts suffered steering gear failures, with Singapore retiring during the leg to New Zealand, while an incident on the Geraldton Western Australia yacht required the U.S. Coastguard to rescue injured crew members.
June 3, 2013
SOCCER – Brazilian forward Neymar poses for photographs after completing his transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013 for 48.6 million euros ($54.01 million).
Neymar spent four years at Barca winning nine trophies, including two La Liga titles and one Champions League crown. He scored 105 goals in all competitions and was part of Barca’s ‘MSN’ attacking trio alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
He went on to join Paris St Germain in 2017 for a world-record transfer fee worth 222 million euros.
June 3, 2015
TENNIS – Novak Djokovic hugs Rafa Nadal following his 7-5 6-3 6-1 victory in the French Open quarter-finals at Roland Garros in Paris.
Djokovic handed Nadal his second defeat in 11 years on the Paris clay, with his only previous loss coming against Sweden’s Robin Soderling in 2009.
Serbian Djokovic went on to beat Britain’s Andy Murray in the semi-finals before losing to Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the final. He redeemed himself by winning the tournament the following year, beating Murray in the title clash.
June 3, 2017
SOCCER – Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo attempts an overhead kick in Real Madrid’s 4-1 win over Juventus in the Champions League final at Cardiff.
Ronaldo netted twice — becoming the first player to score in three Champions League finals after finding the net in the 2008 and 2014 title clashes — as Madrid won their 12th crown in Europe’s elite club competition.
Casemiro and Marco Asensio scored the other two goals for Madrid, while Mario Mandzukic netted for Juve.
(Compiled by Manasi Pathak and Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
