One man, one team and one country ruled the sporting world in 2010. Sports editor Hayden Meikle hands out his brickbats and bouquets in his annual review of the year in international sport.
SPORTSMAN OF 2010: Rafael Nadal, tennis ace:
This was the year the Spanish star confirmed he, not Roger Federer, was the best tennis player on the planet. Nadal won three of the four grand slam singles titles, becoming the youngest player in the open era to win a career slam. With Federer seemingly on the slide, and Nadal seemingly over his knee problems, the No 1 ranking is the Spaniard's for a long time now.
SPORTSWOMAN OF 2010: Lindsey Vonn, ice queen:
A goddess in many countries, unknown in some, Vonn simply sets the standard in snowsports. She raced to the elite downhill gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and also topped the World Cup standings for a third year in a row. And if you are lucky, you may even see her training in Queenstown and Wanaka during the New Zealand winter.
The winners . . .
New Orleans Saints: Won an emotional Super Bowl behind star quarterback Drew Brees.
Manny Pacquiao: Pint-sized Filipino gave another boxing masterclass in winning his eighth world title.
Sebastian Vettel: Baby-faced German took his Red Bull to the Formula 1 championship, becoming the youngest driver to win the title.
Lionel Messi: Pint-sized AND baby-faced Argentine didn't have a great World Cup but is still arguably the finest footballer on the planet.
Serena Williams: Won another two tennis singles grand slams.
LA Lakers: Charged to another NBA title courtesy of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and company.
Redeem Team: And the United States didn't even need Kobe to regain the world basketball title.
San Francisco Giants: Won their first world series baseball title since 1954.
All Blacks: Again setting the standard in international rugby. Even if it's next year that counts.
Martin Kaymer: German golfer wins his first major and, despite the rankings, is the world No 1.
Spain: Overcame a couple of hurdles to deservedly win the World Cup for the first time.
Michael Vick: Out of prison for running a dog fighting ring and back at the top of American football.
Jimmie Johnson: Staged a late run to win an unprecedented fifth straight Nascar title.
Sebastien Loeb: French driver won a seventh consecutive world rally title.
Jorge Lorenzo: Young Spanish rider rode his Yamaha to the Moto GP title.
Chicago Blackhawks: Won ice hockey's Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961.
Collingwood: The Magpies won their first Aussie Rules title in 20 years after a rare grand final replay.
Dragons: Won their first NRL grand final as a merged club.
Serbia: Won tennis' Davis Cup for the first time.
Kelly Slater: Claimed a 10th world surfing title.
The losers . . .
Tiger Woods: Failed to win a single tournament after making a return from his sex scandal hiatus.
Wallabies: Stumbled to a 10th straight loss to the All Blacks before winning the dead rubber in Hong Kong.
Herschelle Gibbs: South African cricketer dumps on team-mates and reveals explicit sex and drugs details in a tawdry autobiography.
Australian cricket: Lots of losses. Panic selections. And the Ashes are not coming home.
Pakistan cricket: Match-fixing allegations flowing thick and fast.
England football: Golden generation flames out at another World Cup. Sound familiar?
Vuvuzelas: Loud, annoying and had us all reaching for the mute button.
Fifa: Widely derided at the end of the year for awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Michael Schumacher: German legend makes an ill-advised and unsuccessful return to Formula 1.
LeBron James: American basketballer goes from god to hate figure after a staged television appearance reveals he is joining a super-term in Miami.
Andy Murray: Another year without a major title for the British tennis hopeful.
Andrew Johns: League legend again in disgrace after using a racial slur in a New South Wales team session.
Melbourne Storm: The sports story of the year came in April when the successful NRL club was found to have massively rorted the salary cap, and was stripped of its titles and forced to play for no points in 2010.
Alberto Contador: Won the Tour de France but remains under a doping cloud.
Audley Harrison: Wussy British boxer gets a shot at a title and throws one punch.
Paul Gascoigne: Fallen British football legend back in the news for boozing and driving.
Joel Monaghan: Australian league player embarrassed by a photo showing him simulating a sex act with a dog.
So long . . .
Andrew Flintoff: Beloved English all-rounder retires from all cricket.
Muttiah Muralitharan: Sri Lankan spin king retires from test cricket with a record 800 wickets.
Lou Piniella: Major League Baseball manager retires after 23 seasons.
George Steinbrenner: New York Yankees owner dies in July aged 80.
John Wooden: Revered American basketball coach dies in June aged 99.
Manute Bol: Famously tall and skinny Sudanese basketballer dies in June aged 47.
Kurt Warner: Classy NFL quarterback retires after 12 seasons and two MVP awards.
Elena Dementieva: Perennial Russian tennis bridesmaid retires aged 29.
Haile Gebrselassie: Ethiopian running great retires in November aged 37. Then promptly says he might run at the 2012 London Olympics.
Paul The Octopus: German mollusc predicts World Cup games then dies in October aged 2.
Lorena Ochoa: Mexican golfer retires in April aged 28 after three years ranked No 1 woman in the world.
Andy Irons: Three-time world champion surfer dies in November aged 32.
Juan Antonio Samaranch: Olympic official with questionable ethics dies in April aged 89.
Ken Griffey jun: Home run-hitting American baseballer retires aged 40.
