The Joy of Six: sporting genius

From left: Simone Biles at the 2016 Rio Olympics; Shane Warne in 2005 at the famous Edgbaston Test; and Michael van Gerwen taking on Phil Taylor in 2016. Composite: Kommersant via Getty Images; Tom Jenkins/The Guardian; Getty Images

1) Ronnie O’Sullivan

Stephen Hendry is not renowned for his effusion – if he praises something for being mediocre, you know to pay it careful attention. So hearing his rhapsodic reverence for Ronnie O’Sullivan is a moving thrill almost as great as watching the man himself. “He makes the game look so easy,” the seven-times world champion said of the seven-times world champion. “When it’s not easy at all.”