Top 10 world athletes of 2009

Top 10 world athletes of 2009

BEIJING, Dec. 30 -- Following are the world's top 10 athletes for the year of 2009 selected by Xinhua News Agency:

1. Usain Bolt (male, Jamaica)

Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates as he points to the scoreboard after winning the men's 200 meters final during the world athletics championships at the Olympic stadium in Berlin, in this Aug. 20, 2009 file photo.

The 23-year-old sprinter won 100m and 200m golds in record times at the world athletics championships in Berlin, matching his100 and 200 double from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He won a third gold in the 4x100m relay.

2. Roger Federer (male, Switzerland)

Roger Federer of Switzerland reacts during his ATP World Tour Finals tennis match against Andy Murray of Britain in London November 24, 2009.

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)

Lionel Messi of Argentina shows his trophy after receiving the FIFA Men's World Player of the Year 2009 soccer award during a ceremony in Zurich December 21, 2009.

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)

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant argues a call against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Dec. 25, 2009.

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)

U.S. runner Sanya Richards reacts after winning the women's 400 metres event at the Golden Gala IAAF Golden League at the Olympic stadium in Rome July 10, 2009.

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)

Michael Phelps of the U.S. Swimming team smiles during a practice session at the Manchester Aquatics Centre in northern England Dec. 17, 2009.

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)

Winner of the ladies' singles free skating competition, Kim Yu-Na of South Korea holds up her gold medal on the podium of the figure skating ISU Grand Prix Final in Tokyo, Dec. 5, 2009.

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)

Serena Williams of U.S reacts to her win over to Elena Dementieva of Russia during their WTA Tour Championships tennis match in Doha October 29, 2009.

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)

Gold medalist Evgenia Kanayeva of Russia waves her hand during the awarding ceremony for the rope event final at the 2009 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Mie Prefecture, Japan, Sept. 8, 2009.

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)

Guo Jingjing of China show her medal and mascot during the awarding ceremony for Women's 3m Synchro Springboard final in the 13th FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy July 24, 2009. Guo and Wu claimed gold with 348.00 points.

The 28-year-old diver won a 3m and 3m synchronized double for the fifth time at the world championships in Rome.
(Xinhua)