Heres the list of the world’s top 10 athletes for the year of 2009 selected by Xinhua News Agency:
1. Usain Bolt (male, Jamaica)
The 23-year-old sprinter won 100m and 200m golds in record times at the world athletics championships in Berlin, matching his 100 and 200 double from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He won a third gold in the 4x100m relay.
2. Roger Federer (male, Switzerland)
The 28-year-old tennis star grabbed his 14th and 15th Grand Slam singles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon Open to eclipse American legend Pete Sampras’ record of 14 titles.
3. Lionel Messi (male, Argentina)
The 22-year-old footballer helped FC Barcelona win four major titles — the Champions League, the Club World Cup, La Liga and the King’s Cup in the same season. He became the first Argentine to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award and also won the European Footballer of the Year prize.
4. Kobe Bryant (male, United States)
The 31-year-old basketball guard paced the Los Angles Lakers to capture the 15th NBA championship in the team’s history. He has four NBA titles and was named finals MVP for the first time.
5. Sanya Richards (female, United States)
The 24-year-old runner collected 400m and 4x400m golds at the world athletics championships in Berlin. She won at all six Golden League meetings in Europe to claim a share of the one-million-U.S.-dollar jackpot offered to athletes who swept their event.
6. Michael Phelps (male, United States)
The 24-year-old swimmer won five gold medals at the world championships in Rome after serving a three-month ban after a photo surfaced with him and bong, a device used for smoking marijuana.
7. Kim Yu-na (female, South Korea)
The 19-year-old figure skater collected five major titles in 2009, including the World Championship, the Four Continents Championship and the Grand Prix Finals. She became the first South Korean to claim a figure skating world championship title.
8. Serena Williams (female, United States)
The 28-year-old tennis player raised the number of her grand slam singles titles to 11 with victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. She finished the year as the world No. 1.
9. Yevgeniya Kanayeva (female, Russia)
The nineteen-year-old gymnast swept all the five individual gold medals plus one gold with the Russian team at the world rhythmic gymnastics championships in Japan.
10. Guo Jingjing (female, diving)
The 28-year-old diver won a 3m and 3m synchronized double for the fifth time at the world championships in Rome. (PNA/Xinhua)