BBC - 13 inspiring moments of glory, celebration and triumph against the odds from 2016

2016 was a glorious year for Leicester City, Wigan Warriors, Middlesex County Cricket Club and the British Olympic and Paralympic teams. But the great thing about glory is that you don’t necessarily have to lift a trophy to experience it; there’s glory to be had from achieving a personal goal, or hanging on in there when it was easier to quit.

And sometimes all it takes is an inspiring piece of music to feel the glory coursing through our veins.

The Euro 2016 football tournament may have ended in ignominy for England, but it was a resounding success for two of the home nations. Northern Ireland were outsiders in a tough group, so reaching the knockout rounds was a triumph. The hoarse voices of the fans interviewed on Paris’s Champs-Elysees the following morning were testament to the team’s endeavours.

‘We’re not going home’ – Northern Ireland through to final 16 in Euros

Northern Ireland through to the final stage of Euro 2016 – reaction from Michael McGovern

Of course, Northern Ireland were knocked out in the second round by Wales, who went on to the reach the semi-finals after demolishing pre-tournament favourites Belgium in a match that will go down in history. Commentator Rob Phillips sealed the occasion with a suitably euphoric summary at the final whistle.

‘We’re still here!’ – Wales have beaten Belgium

Wales beat Belgium 3-1 and go through to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

Andy Murray’s second Wimbledon victory was celebrated across the UK in July, but nowhere more vociferously than in his homeland of Scotland: 'He’s the Wimbledon champion once again! And no one deserves it more.'

Andy Murray is Wimbledon Champion

The moment Andy Murray beats Milos Raonic to win Wimbledon for the second time.

At the Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan, you didn’t have to be the hardest server or the fastest runner to win a medal; you just had to be good at building yurts or playing polo with a headless goat carcass.

It's a long way from Rio.....

The Nomad Games showcase little known sports

For some competitors, merely finishing a race is a heroic achievement. Claire Lomas was paralysed from the chest down in a horse-riding accident, but this didn’t stop her from completing the Great North Run in a ‘bionic’ suit, controlled by tilting her pelvis. It took her five gruelling days to finish the 13-mile course – and all this on top of being 16 weeks pregnant! “I don’t like giving up,” she said simply.

'Bionic' woman finishes half-marathon

Paralysed and pregnant, Claire Lomas says training was 'stressful and difficult'

Someone else who’s spent their life battling against tremendous physical constraints is Professor Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed with the motor neurone disease at the age of 21. He used his 2016 Reith Lecture to impart some vital wisdom: "It’s so important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life may seem, because you can lose all hope if you can’t laugh at yourself and life in general."

'My work and my sense of humour have kept me going.'

Professor Stephen Hawking reflects on the impact his disability has had on his life.

When boxing great Muhammad Ali died in June, his funeral became a joyous commemoration of a larger-than-life figure, as captured by this raucous live dispatch.

The Funeral of Muhammad Ali

Live coverage of the ceremony, from his hometown of Louisville.

Grasping the spirit of the moment, Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw reacted to Bowie’s death with an effusive and personal tribute: “Chances are, everything you like right now or have ever liked has been influenced by this man. Go celebrate that legacy today.”

‘He is someone that made me like music’ – Nick Grimshaw on Bowie

Nick Grimshaw reacts to the death of a musical icon: David Bowie.

Few captured the polymorphous, bright-burning brilliance of Prince better than 6 Music’s resident poet Murray Lachlan Young, in this nimble ode to the "tiny towering purple star".

A Poem for Prince

Murray Lachlan Young composed a poem to celebrate the life of the Prince.

This summer marked 20 years since Oasis’s record-breaking, era-defining concerts at Knebworth. In this clip, photographer Jill Furmanovsky remembered the moment when the enormity of the occasion began to dawn on the band.

Memories of Oasis at Knebworth

Photographer Jill Furmanovsky and 6 Music listeners remember Oasis at Knebworth.

From a band at the very top of their game to an artist at the very beginning of their career. When Radio 1Xtra broadcast live from Butetown in Cardiff earlier this year, the name on everyone’s lips was local rapper Sonny Double 1. Here, Charlie Sloth allowed him to introduce the first ever national radio play of his single, 'Mo Farah'. The excitement generated suggests it won’t be the last.