In 2016, the world witnessed scintillating performances by many sportspersons and teams. The job of selecting top 20 of them was a challenge as there were many contenders trying to squeeze into the list. However, the selection has been made based on individual merits and matchwinning performances. Here is the list:
Ravichandran Ashwin
Indore 11/10/2016 R Ashwin celebrates after taking his fifth wicket on the forth day of third cricket test matich against New Zealand at Holkar stadium. photo: Vivek Bendre Indore 11/10/2016 R Ashwin celebrates after taking his fifth wicket on the forth day of third cricket test matich against New Zealand at Holkar stadium. photo: Vivek Bendre -
Despite a poor 2015, Ravichandran Ashwin outperformed many other sportspersons is the No.1 choice. Not only with the ball, Ashwin also showed his mettle in batting with match-winning runs for the country. Team India is on a roll now by winning Test matches, with Ashwin using his variations to the full use and picking up wickets when India needed them most. It is no surprise that he has won the ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year awards. He attained the No.1 in ICC Test bowler ranking and also ICC all-rounders ranking.
Usain Bolt
FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2016 file photo, Usain Bolt from Jamaica celebrates winning the gold medal in the men's 200-meter final during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Usain Bolt lightened the Rio Olympics with yet another superlative performance. He got his third 'triple triple' at Rio. He got two 'triple triple' in the 2008 Olympics and the 2012 Olympics. Despite injury concerns, he stamped his class at the track. He is the reigning World and Olympic champion in these three events. His unprecedented dominance and achievements at the tracks, makes him as the greatest sprinter of all time.
Michael Phelps
Combination picture made on August 14, 2016 shows US swimmer Michael Phelps with the 23 gold medals he won at the Olympic Games in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. / AFP PHOTO / -
The most decorated Olympian Michael Phelps had a total of 28 medals at Olympics, which includes a phenomenal 23 gold medals. In 2016, he was on course for a sixth gold medal until he was stunned by Singapore's Joseph Schooling in the 100m butterfly event. He was the most successful athlete of the Games for the fourth Olympics in a row.
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns to Andy Murray of Britain during their ATP World Tour Finals singles final tennis match at the O2 arena in London, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
In the era of Federers and Nadals, Novak Djokovic is considered as one of the greatest tennis players of all times. He held on to the No.1 spot for a total of 223 weeks and in December, he lost his ranking to Britain's Andy Murray. Djokovic also holds the best winning rate (83 per cent) as of August. He has also won 12 Grand Slam singles titles. By winning the French Open, Djokovic became the third man to hold all four Grand Slams at once, the first since Rod Laver. In 2016, he won the French Open and the Australian Open.
Andy Murray
Andy Murray of Britain plays a return to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their ATP World Tour Finals singles final tennis match at the O2 Arena in London, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Andy Murray won his second Wimbledon title in 2016. He is a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner, two-time Olympic champion, Davis Cup champion and winner of the 2016 AP World Tour Finals. Following his victory at the 2016 Paris Masters, Murray dethroned Novak Djokovic to become World No.1. His rivalry against Djokovic is a treat to watch for the tennis fans. Both have met 35 times with Djokovic leading 24-11. This year these two have met in two Grand Slam finals with Murray finishing runner-up.
Simone Biles
United States' Simone Biles performs on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women's individual all-around final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast who won the Olympic individual all-round, vault and floor gold medals. She was also a part of the gold medal winning team at the Rio Olympics. With four Olympics golds, Biles set a US' record for most gold medals in women's gymnastics at a single event. She figures third in the list of top female medalists at the World Artistic Gynmastics Championships after Svetlana Khorkina and Gina Gogean.
P.V. Sindhu
Rio de Janeiro: Shuttler P.V. Sindhu plays a shot in the pre-quarter Finals match Against Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei during the 2016 Summer Olympics at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on Monday. Sindhu won 21-13 21-15. PTI Photo by Atul Yadav(PTI8_16_2016_000024A)
P.V. Sindhu became the first woman to win a badminton silver at the recently concluded Rio Olympics. She emulated her compatriot Saina Nehwal, who had won a bronze in 2008. Sindhu played brilliant badminton at the Rio Olympics and just demolished her opponents and reached the finals with a huge expectation from millions of fans. Sindhu has earlier defeated her opponent Carolina Marin in 2015. And the way she swamped her opponents in the group stages, quarterfinals and semifinals, fans expected a certain gold from her. But her opponent Carolina Marin held on to the pressure and upped the ante to beat Sindhu in a three-set thriller finals.
Sakshi Malik
Rio de Janeiro : India's Sakshi Malik with national flag celebrates winning bronze against Kyrgyzstan's Aisuluu Tynybekova in the women's wrestling freestyle 58-kg competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Wednesday. PTI Photo by Atul Yadav (PTI8_18_2016_000072a)
Sakshi Malik qualified for the Rio Olympics by defeating Zhang Lan in the semifinal of the 58 kg category at the Olympic World qualifying tournament. At the Olympics, she won her Round of 32 bout and Round of 16 bout easily. In the quarterfinal, she lost to Russia's Valeria Koblova. As Koblova reached the finals, Sakshi Malik qualified for the repechage round. She defeated her Mongolian opponent in the first bronze. In the bronze medal match, she faced Asian champion Aisuluu Tynybekova. Sakshi was trailing 0-5 at one stage. But she hold on to her nerve and just derailed the Asian Champion champion by winning the bout 8-5. By this victory, Sakshi Malik became the first female wresler to win an Olympic medal.
Dipa Karmakar
India's Dipa Karmakar performs on the vault during the artistic gymnastics women's apparatus final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian female gymnast ever to compete in the Olympics and the first Indian to do so in 52 years. Dipa attained the pinnacle by winning a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She came close to winning a medal at the Rio Olympics but missed the bronze by a whisker. For her feat at Olympics, she was conferred the Khel Ratna Award. She has guaranteed the fans that she will win a Olympic medal for the country at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Indian Junior World Cup hockey team
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik presents the Junior World Cup Hockey trophy to Indian team after their victory over Belgium in Lucknow on Sunday. PTI Photo (PTI12_18_2016_000182B)
The poor performance of the senior hockey team at the Rio Olympics didn't deter this young team. The Indian Junior hockey team won the World Cup after a long gap of 15 years. On its way to the title, it defeated the mighty Australians in the semifinal and beat the final-debutant Belgium 2-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo takes a free kick during the final of the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
This year was a good one for Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. He was injured in the final of the Euro 2016 and was pulled out after 25 minutes. But the Portugal team lifted the cup by beating France 1-0. Ronaldo also came level with Gerd Muller and Robbie Keane as the fourth-highest European international goalscorer of all time. He received his fourth Ballon d'Or, the most for an European player in the history of the award.
Lionel Messi
Argentina's Lionel Messi strikes the ball during a 2018 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Colombia, in San Juan, Argentina, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Lionel Messi is considered as one the best players in the world of football. He is the only player to have won 5 Ballons d'Or. After the shock defeat against Chile in the Copa America Centenario finals, he announced his retirement from international football. Following his retirement, a campaign began in Argentina urging him to change his mind. In August, he reversed his decision and was included in the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Later in the year, he was convicted of tax fraud committed from 2007 to 20098, for which he received a fine and a suspended prison sentence.
Portugal football team
FILE - In this Sunday, July 10, 2016 file photo Portugal's Eder, front right, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Euro 2016 final soccer match between Portugal and France at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
Despite the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo from the 25th minute, Portugal held its nerve to defeat France 1-0 in the Euro 2016 finals. Eder scored the winning goal. With this victory, Portugal will make its first appearance in the FIFA Confederations Cup held in 2017. The Euro victory is the first ever major trophy by the Portugal soccer team.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams of the United States holds up the trophy after winning the women's singles final against Garbine Muguruza of Spain, at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Saturday July 11, 2015. Williams won 6-4, 6-4. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Serena Williams is the most decorated tennis player of the Open era. Despite being dethroned by Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams had held on to the No.1 ranking for a total of 309 weeks. By holding the No.1 rank for 186 consecutive weeks, she tied the Steffi Graf record. She also equalled Steffi Graf's record of 22 Grand Slam titles in Open era and the list is led by Margaret Court. In 2016, Serena won only the Wimbledon title in singles and doubles. She had a disappointing Olympics. Although she was dethroned, Serena will certainly bounce back to become the world No.1 in WTA rankings.
Virat Kohli
Indore 11/10/2016 Virat Kohli holds ICC No.1 Cricket team trophy on the forth day of third cricket test matich against New Zealand at Holkar stadium. photo: Vivek Bendre Indore 11/10/2016 Virat Kohli holds ICC No.1 Cricket team trophy on the forth day of third cricket test matich against New Zealand at Holkar stadium. photo: Vivek Bendre -
After taking the reins from M.S. Dhoni, Virat Kohli had further lifted the morale of the young Indian side in Tests and brought glory. By winning the consecutive series against West Indies in West Indies, New Zealand and England in India, Kohli's team dethroned Pakistan to become the No.1 Test ranking side and maintained it till the end of 2016. Kohli has captained India in 18 consecutive Tests without a defeat, starting from the tour of Sri Lanka in August 2015. He has captained in 22 Tests and won 14 out of it and lost only 2.
Carlos Brathwaite
Kolkata : 03/04/2016: West Indies Carlos Brathwaite plays a shot during the World T20 cricket final match between England and West Indies at The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata on April 3, 2016. Photo: K.R. Deepak Kolkata : 03/04/2016: West Indies Carlos Brathwaite plays a shot during the World T20 cricket final match between England and West Indies at The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata on April 3, 2016. Photo: K.R. Deepak -
No fan would know Carlos Brathwaite till he played a breezy knock during the final of the ICC World T20 Cup against England. West Indies were in a state of bother. West Indies have to score 19 runs in the last over. Carlos Brathwaite never had pressure as he tonked four consecutive sixes in the first four ball to enable West Indies lift their second World T20 title. With the board and senior players having a trouble, Brathwaite was named the captain of the T20 internationals against India in Florida.
Garbine Muguruza
SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 24: Garbine Muguruza of Spain celebrates winning the second set in her singles match against Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic during the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore at Singapore Sports Hub on October 24, 2016 in Singapore. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Garbine Muguruza captured her first Grand Slam title by defeating Serena Williams in the French Open finals. She lost the first set in her first round match and won it in three sets. After that she didn't lose any sets on way to her finals. With the victory against Serena Williams, Muguruza rose to No.2 in WTA rankings. She is also the first Spanish female player to win a Grand Slam title since Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1998. Muguruza didn't had a good time at Wimbledon and Olympics. She is currently the World No.7 in WTA rankings. Though she has only a Grand Slam to her credit this year, she is being heralded as the leader of the next generation.
Vijender Singh
New Delhi: Indian boxing star Vijender Singh celebrates after beating Francis Cheka of Tanzania during the Proboxing match in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo by ATul Yadav(PTI12_17_2016_000230B)
After Vijender Singh turned professional, he punched out his opponents in the way and is the current WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Champion. He faced Sony Whiting in his debut professional match and he won it 1-0. After that, he won 7 bouts. He won the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title by defeating Kerry Hope in July 2016. Francis Cheka challenged Vijender Singh and he won the match in technical knock-out in December 17 and retained the title.
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs celebrate after Game 7 of the Major League Baseball World Series against the Cleveland Indians Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, in Cleveland. The Cubs won 8-7 in 10 innings to win the series 4-3. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series baseball championship since 1908 when Ben Zobrist hit a go-ahead double in the 10th inning, beating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in a thrilling Game. The 108-year drought was also the longest such occurrence in all major North American sports. Since the start of divisional play in 1969, the Cubs have appeared in the postseason eight times through the 2016 season. Earlier in the year the Chicago Cubs also won National League Championship Series, ending a 71-year National League Pennant drought. The Cubs have appeared in a total of 11 World Series.
Aditi Ashok
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 10: Aditi Ashok of India plays her second shot on the first hole during the final round of the 2016 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters on the Majlis Course at the Emirates Golf Club on December 10, 2016 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
In the midst of poor performance from Indian profesisonal golfers, Aditi Ashok rose to the pinnacle of glory to win the 2016 Hero Women's Indian Open golf tournament. With this victory, she became the first Indian to win a Ladies European title. She also won the Qatar Ladies Open and finished season second on the Order of Merit. She also bagged Rookie of the Year award. By virtue of some showing in the golf field, she gained an LPGA tour card for 2017.
While selecting the last of top sportspersons of the year, many names, such as Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Leander Paes, Saina Nehwal and Sania Mirza were thought of. And Sania Mirza clinched the place.
Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza, of India, returns a shot to Taylor Townsend and Donald Young during a mixed doubles match in the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, in New York. Mirza's teammate was Ivan Dodig, of Croatia. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Sania Mirza is the No.1 in Women World Doubles ranking and has achieved many feats during her illustrious career. She and Martin Hingis won the Australia Open, which is Sania's third Grand Slam title. In August, Sania Mirza and Martin Hingis announced thier split but then teamed up at the WTA Finals. Despite losing at the semifinals, she retained the No.1 ranking for the second consecutive season. Sania, though a brilliant fighter, could not achieve her dream of winning a Olympic medal for her country. She teamed up with Rohan Bopanna and lost in the bronze-medal play-off.
