Forget Sports Personality of the Year, it’s time to vote for the big one – Eurosport-Yahoo’s 2009 World Sportsperson award.
Here’s the shortlist of the candidates so vote in the poll on the homepage and come back for the results on December 31.
Usain Bolt (Athletics)
Usain Bolt took the world somewhat by surprise at the 2008 Olympics but everybody was waiting for him to do something spectacular at this year’s World Championships in Berlin. The laid-back sprint king did not disappoint. Under intense pressure he destroyed the field in both the 100m and 200m finals in world record times of 9.58 and 19.19 seconds respectively. He also helped Jamaica take 4x100m relay gold and even bowled out Chris Gayle in a celebrity cricket match.
Jenson Button (Formula One)
Jenson Button went into 2009 Formula One season not even knowing whether he was going to have a drive and ended the season as world champion. As Brawn GP took over the scraps left by former team Honda, Button steered a remarkably competitive car to six victories in the first seven races. He would not win another race all year as the team’s budget dried up but he skilfully picked up the points needed to win the title with a race to spare.
Kim Clijsters (Tennis)
Roger Federer finally won the French Open, Serena Williams won a record amount of prize money, but the tennis story of the year was undoubtedly the return of Kim Clijsters. The Belgian only returned to action in August after over two years out of the game, and despite some impressive early results, nobody gave her much chance at the US Open just a month later. However, it was as if she had never been away as she ripped through the field to win her second Grand Slam title with wins over four top-10 players – including both Williams sisters – along the way.
Alberto Contador (Cycling)
Alberto Contador was not allowed to defend his Tour de France title in 2008 as his Astana team was banned, but he made up for lost time by romping to victory in 2009. With his Kazakh team having signed up seven-times champion Lance Armstrong to also compete, there were question marks as to who was the real team leader. However, the Spaniard blew away all those doubts on Stage 15 when he rocketed up the climb at Verbier to take an overall lead that he would not surrender.
Ryan Giggs (Football)
It was a year of landmarks for Ryan Giggs. In 2009 he played his 800th game for Manchester United, made his 700th start for the club, and also scored his 150th goal. He is now the only player to have scored in every season of the Premier League since its inception in 1992 and also became the first player to collect 11 top division English league title medals. He finally won the PFA Player of the Year award last April although some said it was little more than a life-time achievement award. However, his form thus far in 2009/2010 has been even better and the Welsh wizard shows no signs of slowing down.
Manny Pacquiao (Boxing)
Those in the know warned Ricky Hatton fans that Manny Pacquiao was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world before their light welterweight title fight in May. An army of Hatton supporters still travelled to Las Vegas dreaming of an upset but their hopes were torn apart quickly and ruthlessly by a devastating performance from the Filipino. He floored Hatton twice in the first round before ending the fight with a crushing left hook with one second remaining in second. Hatton’s career was left with nowhere to go while Pacquiao will look to cement his reputation further by beating Miguel Cotto later this month.
Valentino Rossi (Moto GP)
Moto GP superstar Valentino Rossi did nothing out of the order in 2009 other than be his brilliant self. The Italian managed to win the MotoGP title with a race to spare and has now won seven world championships at motorcycle’s top level and nine world titles in all. 2009 was also the year he won his 100th grand prix – becoming only the second motorcyclist to reach that milestone after Giacomo Agostini. There has been talk of Rossi moving to Formula One or rallying but he has stated his intention to stick with bikes for at least a couple more years.
Caster Semenya (Athletics)
The now well-documented news that the IAAF were investigating Caster Semanya’s gender came into the public domain just three hours before the biggest race of the South African teenager’s life. That makes her performance at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin all the more remarkable. The 18-year-old shredded the competition in Germany with a stunning performance of speed and strength to take home gold. She has since had to endure countless doubters and mean-spirited jokes, but her performance and humility amid such a storm cannot be understated.
Andrew Strauss (Cricket)
The England cricket team looked in disarray at the start of the year as Andrew Strauss fell into the captaincy after Kevin Pietersen’s shock resignation. Strauss lost his first series in the West Indies but then guided his side to a 2-0 win when the sides met again in England. However, it was during the Ashes series that Strauss really came of age as both a batsman and a captain. His batting average of 52.66 made him man-of- the-series while some of his big captain decisions – such as refusing to make Australia follow on in the second Test – proved to be inspired.
Lindsay Vonn (Alpine Skiing)
No woman dominated her sport in 2009 quite like Lindsey Vonn did in alpine skiing. The American managed to defend her overall and downhill World Cup titles while also winning the Super-G crown. At the World Championships in Val D’Isere she won gold in both the downhill and Super-G disciplines. Vonn has never won an Olympic medal in two previous visits to the Games but, barring injury, that will surely change in Vancouver early in 2010. Lee WALKER / Eurosport
