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Dutch superstar Robin Van Persie ignited the World Cup with his out-of-nowhere header just before the half against Spain, which propelled The Netherlands on their run in Brazil, and signalled the beginning of the end for the Spanish reign atop the football world.

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With another splendid performance at this Cup, Tim Cahill launched himself – much like he did with this trademark header for a goal against Chile – into the Australian sporting pantheon, with many observers acclaiming him as the finest Socceroo ever.

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Japanese fans sure love their Samurai Blue, packing the Tokyo Dome to watch a feed of the game against the Ivory Coast. And while Japan endured a tough Cup campaign, the public reaction wasn’t too harsh – the Korean team, by contrast, was pelted by toffees upon its return home.

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TAustralian pair Nicole Laird (left) and Mariafe Artacho won the FIVB World Under-23 beach volleyball championship, losing only one match on their way to the title in the sand-and-sun hotbed of Myslowice, Poland, about five hours’ drive inland from the coast.

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Mills for millions: with his sparkplug efforts off the bench boosting the San Antonio Spurs to an NBA Finals victory over LeBron James and the Miami Heat, Patty Mills had the most rewarding of seasons: a championship ring, and a healthy new contract.

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So this is what Blues fans have been missing out on for eight years ... Josh Reynolds and the rest of the NSW side made the tough plays in this year’s State of Origin series, riding the wave of support in game two in Sydney to finally end Queensland’s remarkable streak.

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Maligned as the World Cup’s most lowly ranked team, the Socceroos gave the nation more than a few things to cheer about. And when Mile Jedinak slotted this spot kick to put Australia up over The Netherlands, there was even good reason to believe...

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Cameroon’s Pierre Webo and Croatia’s Dejan Lovren got their kicks when their two nations met in Manaus, which became known during the Cup as the city in the middle of the Amazon. Less savoury, though, were allegations that this match was fixed by some of the Cameroonians.

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Sepp Blatter peers out from behind his glass cage and finds out what the world really thinks of FIFA ... Sepp actually played it kind of low-key in Brazil, despite making an interesting claim that, one day, the World Cup would be contested among planets.

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To paraphrase the old saying: the fox knows many things, but the vixen knows one big thing – such as how to win the big thing. The Melbourne Vixens claimed netball’s ANZ Championship, atoning for a home grand final loss two years ago with a decisive win over the Queensland Firebirds.

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England: three matches, no wins, one point. Perhaps even worse – the Three Lions didn’t altogether play that badly, at once highlighting how capricious tournament play can be, or that England just isn’t as good as it thinks it is. Bottom line: Roy Hodgson’s face tells it all.

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Extra special K: Nick Kyrgios thought he had done well to come back from a set down against third-round opponent Jiri Vesely here, having prevailed in an epic against Richard Gasquet the match before. But the best was yet to come for the burgeoning tennis star...

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David Warner: dreaming of a clear mind at the crease. Australian team management: dreaming of David Warner sound asleep, and not out on the town. The dashing opener’s summer was indeed a dream state, as he regained his hold on a baggy green, and his country on the Ashes.

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Tackled, rather literally: the Melbourne Victory’s Enza Barilla was met by this challenge from the Western Sydney Wanderers’ Linda O’Neill in this W-League match in Campbelltown. O’Neill would feel worse, though – an own goal from her produced a 1-1 draw.

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Before the start of the Australian Open, Chinese star Li Na posed with 380 boys and girls who did the hard work of running down spheres in Melbourne. The privilege was also theirs – they were posing with the woman who would be champion.

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The heat was a major talking point in Melbourne this year – one player even said that he was hallucinating visions of Snoopy at one point. Spaniard David Ferrer was sweating during his third-round match when temperatures hit 37 degrees, but he eventually won in four sets.

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In Britain, they call this sport Octopush ... West Australian Megan Pardoe and Victorian Amy Barry-Macaulay were Octo-pushing when their states met at underwater hockey’s national championships on the Gold Coast in January.

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Slopestyle snowboarder Chas Guldemond takes a practice run at the US Snowboarding Grand Prix event in Colorado. Guldemond claims Rocky Balboa as an inspiration – just like the Italian Stallion, the Sochi-bound Guldemond was hoping to pull off a big win in Russia.

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Well, we know that short-track speed skating is unpredictable ... Dutchman Sjikie Knegt double-saluted his way into the annals of post-match, bad-sport reactions after losing to Russia’s Viktor Ahn in this pre-Olympic relay event in Dresden. The Dutch were disqualified.

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“The problem with ice hockey is it’s too hard to follow the puck.” Pity the fans at the Detroit Red Wings-Toronto Maple Leafs game held at Michigan Stadium, who did get to enjoy the spectacle of a contest held in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 ... in temperatures of -11 degrees.

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There’s been no hiding Novak Djokovic’s dominance at the Australian Open, with his last loss in Melbourne coming in 2010. But in a quarter-final encounter with Stan Wawrinka, the Serbian champ saw his run come to an end after a four-hour epic that finished 9-7 in the fifth set.

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So, Alastair, what is it? Captain Cook was often stuck for back-up options this summer, as England lost its third-straight game of the one-day series, this night at the SCG, and raised the prospect of double 5-0 whitewashes. The English managed to avoid that fate – just – with a win in Perth.

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Phoenix’s Archie Goodwin (left) and Marcus Morris turned away the foray of Chicago’s DJ Augustin. The young Suns have been the surprise team of this NBA season, defying predictions of a bottom-three finish to challenge for a play-off spot.

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“When Ivo smooches the urn, the urn ...” Peter Siddle and Michael Clarke kiss some ash, finally able to revel in winning back the prize from the old rivals. The series had already been won entering the Sydney Test, but a stunning three-day victory completed the 5-0 domination.

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Nathan Lyon elevated his status as a Test cricketer during the Ashes series, playing all five matches and taking 19 wickets. The spinner has also inherited the mantle of leading Underneath The Southern Cross I Stand after victory. Plainly, he had plenty of practice this summer.

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Hey, it looks like an NFL game ... Frenchwoman Tessa Worley crashes out in the slalom event of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Courchevel. For Worley, it was the cruellest of breaks – she suffered a knee injury that will keep her from going to Sochi.

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The Australian Test cricket side revels in regaining the Ashes, with most players in the team tasting victory against the old enemy for the first time. We only hope they took care not to fall into the cracks in the WACA pitch ...

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This one’s a keeper: when Brad Haddin claimed this screamer off Joe Root and sent the English three down in their fourth-innings chase at the WACA, the Australians metaphorically had one hand on the Ashes.

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New York Ranger Dylan McIlrath braced for the blow from Brian McGrattan of the Calgary Flames. Rookie McIlrath came up on the short end of his first fight, but veteran tough McGrattan admired the effort, later telling him: “Good job, kid.”

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It’s called slopestyle, and you can even win an Olympic gold medal for doing this. Aussie Russ Henshaw will have a chance at it, as he shows during the Dew Tour iON Mountain Championships in Colorado.

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... The bounce-back figure of the summer, David Warner, made his second century of the series, characteristically blasting his way to 112 off 140 balls. Warner’s ton set up a daunting lead of 504 that finally broke England’s hold of the Ashes.

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Gareth Bale cuts a – dare we say it? – Ronaldo-esque figure in Real’s match against Osasuna. After a slow start in Madrid, Bale has begun to show form worthy of his transfer fee. Which we’re sure is what Spurs fans want to hear.

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When Steve Smith arrived at the crease during the first day of the Perth Test, Australia was a shaky 3/106. The youngest player in the side then went on to craft an innings-saving century, a knock that had him – and the rest of the nation – jumping for joy. In the Aussies’ next dig ...

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Any wonder that the NFL is handing out $30m in research grants to study concussion? A tough season for the New York Giants gets even worse for star quarterback Eli Manning, who takes a heavy knock in the Giants’ road loss to the San Diego Chargers.

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The UFC event in Brisbane was hyped as a battle of the big men, and Big Foot Silva (left) and Mark Hunt unleashed what UFC chief Dana White called “the sickest heavyweight fight I have ever seen”. Contrary to Silva’s battered face, the contest ended in a draw.

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A December game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions was made memorable from a near-total blanket of snow. Eagle Brent Celek slid for the first down here, but damned if anyone could tell during the game – at one point, the referee admitted that they couldn’t make out the goal line.

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Feeling down about the Socceroos being drawn in a tough group? That’s nothing. In Peru, failing to qualify for the World Cup means people take to the streets of Lima, calling for the government to clean out the football federation.

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There was no argument about one thing: Mitchell Johnson had regained his reputation as one of the deadliest bowlers in the game. He took nine wickets in the match, with a good proportion the result of evasive action by Englishmen caught on the hop, like Stuart Broad.

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A couple of Mitchell Johnson spells in Brisbane recalled Jeff Thomson in his pomp, with his slingshot action, steepling bounce and headhunting aggression. But the moustache was pure DK Lillee.

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Tempers frayed during the closing stages of the first Test in Brisbane. James Anderson said he wanted to punch George Bailey in the head. Michael Clarke stepped in and said he wanted to break James’ arm. Witless bullying or standard Ashes banter? The cricket universe argued the toss for days ... The second Test couldn’t start soon enough.

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You want to stop James Tamou from scoring this close to the line? Petero Civoniceva and Aaron Groom of Fiji attempted to disarm him during their World Cup semi. Good try.

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The Socceroos’ friendly against Costa Rica might have been their first hit-out with their new manager, but it wasn’t the first time we’ve seen Tim Cahill hit out at a corner post: his winner was his 29th goal for his country, equalling Damian Mori’s record tally. Take that.

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All eyes were on new Masters champ Adam Scott when he arrived back in Australia for our summer of golf. He promptly went on an absolute tear, picking up yet another mustard jacket for his wardrobe, taking out our own Masters at Royal Melbourne in dramatic style.

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Dani Sordo and Carlos Del Barrio of Spain make a splash during the Sweet Lamb stage of the FIA World Rally Championship in Llanidloes, Wales. Sweet Lamb is a place: the home of British rallying. Not a posh term for roadkill ...

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Snow? Who needs snow? Matt Graham shows how an Aussie prepares for a Winter Olympics. He’s a member of the Australian moguls team, captured here in training at their Lilydale water ramp facility, near Melbourne. (Yes, they need snow.)

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Kyle Busch takes the chequered flag (literally) after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series ServiceMaster 200 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

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The Brisbane Roar’s Henrique tussles with Zachary Anderson of the Mariners during their round five A-League match at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford. Was this a grand final rehearsal? Brisbane would get home 1-0 with a goal in the 89th minute.

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Mike Napoli of the Boston Red Sox celebrates hitting a three-run homer by yanking team-mate Jonny Gomes’ beard during Game Four of the World Series. The beard thing was a Boston theme in 2013: most players hadn’t shaved since Spring Training. And it seemed to work: they won the lot.

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High Design gets the royal treatment at Flemington during the Spring Carnival.

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That’s one giant leap for a footballer: Kevin Norwood of the Alabama Crimson Tide finds a novel way past the defensive line of the Tennessee Volunteers in their showdown in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

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Somewhere beneath the suds, there’s an F1 champion in there ... Sebastian Vettel clinched yet another world title with victory at the Indian GP. It would be funny if he didn’t like champagne, although he would have become used to the taste over the last four years.

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Brett Ferres was thankful for his call-up to the English World Cup side thanks to Gareth Hock’s booze-related axing, after being left out of the original squad. At this point in the tackle, maybe Ferres was reconsidering ...

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Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira was head over heels competing in the Moto3 class at the Phillip Island GP. No doubt about Oliveira’s love of two-wheel racing, though – even after a fall like this, the 18-year-old returned to the race, eventually finishing in 26th place.

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It makes sense, in personality terms, that David Warner would love himself a carnival. The free-scoring batsman certainly liked the carnival set-up of the Ryobi Cup, as he blasted three tons, pressed his case for national recall and gave himself ample opportunity for celebratory helmet upper cuts.

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Indigenous All-Star Lindsay Thomas tussled for the pill with Ireland’s Sean Cavanagh, but the Gaelic players had the run of it, flat-out dominating the International Rules series. Cavanagh once turned down a trial with the Brisbane Lions, instead focusing on his career as an accountant.

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Concussion research is showing how dangerous it is to hit with your head, so Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor did it the old-fashioned way and gave it to New York Jet David Nelson. See, NFL football doesn’t have to be any less violent ...

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Not your idea of a day at the beach: riders contest the main solo event at the 2013 RHL Weston annual beach race in Weston-Super-Mare in Somerset, England. Gruelling at the best of times, foul conditions turned this year’s endurance race into especially dirty biking.

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Well, we’ve been told that US college football rivalries can be a little intense ... The behaviour of one University of Michigan Wolverines fan was enough for the mace to come out, although you do have to wonder if it was enough to justify the rather pleased expression of the Penn State fan in the background.

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The boys from Bondi, gathered around exultant captain Anthony Minichiello, revelled in their premiership victory, coming back from ten points down in the second half of the NRL grand final to beat Manly.

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In a sea full of swimmers, the man with a canoe is king ... Some 1800 competitors took to the open water for Hong Kong’s New World Harbour Race, covering 1.5 kilometres across Victoria Harbour. This was the third staging of the race since its recent revival, having been suspended in 1978 because of pollution in the harbour.

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You the man now, dog: boards collide at the fifth annual City Surf Surf Dog competition at Huntington Beach in California, where hopefully the conditions were frothing, and not the canines.

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There aren’t many better names in the AFL than Tendai Mzungu, who booted a cracking goal to finally get Fremantle on the board in the grand final. Alas, the Hawks locked up the Dockers, and locked down the flag.

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Manly’s Brent Kite scored high on the flexibility scale, and showed us yet another way that rugby league can inflict pain. Upside: the Sea Eagles won the semi-final encounter over Cronulla.

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Well, we all know that Phil Hughes’ technique at the crease is unusual, but we thought it was only his batting ... Hughes crashed the stumps to run out Kevin Pietersen in the fifth Australia vs England one-dayer at the Ageas Bowl.

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Ash Walsh, of Dick Johnson Racing Ford, hit the wall at Sandown ... not exactly the way you want to mark your V8 debut. Walsh had been the most impressive driver on the developmental circuit this year, despite another wall-smashing incident in New Zealand.

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Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen of Finland kicked up some dust at the World Rally Championship’s Australian leg in Coffs Harbour. The Finns’ Citroen suffered a late puncture to fall back to third, and series leader Sebastien Ogier claimed the victory.

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Rafael Nadal cut a Christ-like pose upon winning the US Open final over Novak Djokovic. Considering where the Spaniard was at the end of last year, yet again plagued by physical breakdown, his return to form in 2013 with a pair of Slams was nothing short of, well, miraculous.

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Serena Williams has been a wrecking ball at Flushing Meadows, and claimed her fifth US Open title and 17th career Slam overall. But Victoria Azarenka made her work in the final, as Williams spilled a 4-1 lead in the second set before prevailing in the third.

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Komazawa Olympic Park erupted at the news that the youth of the world will once again assemble in Tokyo for the Games, as Japan’s megalopolis beat out Istanbul and Madrid for the honour of 2020 host. We can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with for a mascot ...

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To paraphrase Bob Dylan, how does a rolling stone feel ... when it has to be carried? Mike Jenkins competes in the Atlas Stones portion of the World Strongest Man in Sanya, China. Jenkins teaches at a high school in his native Maryland, and we can safely assume his students don’t misbehave too often.

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Mexican puncher Jhonny Gonzalez showed his reflexes were still firing after his stunning first-round demolition of Mexican featherweight star Abner Mares, who got clocked by one of the best left hooks you will ever see.

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In his first US fight, middleweight champ Daniel Geale had opponent Darren Barker on his heels. But in keeping with the Brits’ recent sporting success over the Aussies, Barker outworked Geale over the 12 rounds in Atlantic City, overcoming a sixth-round knockdown and taking a split decisiozn.

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Nobody overshadowed Gunnar Nixon in the early stages of the IAAF Worlds decathlon competition, as the young American jumped out to a big lead. But by day two, compatriot and ten-event god Ashton Eaton had taken over, adding the world championship to his Olympic title.

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Sally Pearson overcame an unsettled build-up to the IAAF Worlds, taking favoured American Brianna Rollins right to the line in the 100m hurdles. Rollins had injured herself during training in Moscow, prompting her to tweet: “They need to invest in plastic hurdles. This isn’t the 1970s.”

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Essendon key tall Paddy Ryder won this ruck battle, and helped his team to a comeback victory over an errant-kicking Carlton. The Dons didn’t have long to savour the win, as the AFL lowered the boom the following week.

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New gladiators: St George-Illawarra and the Wests Tigers paid homage to their forerunners, who contested the 1963 grand final and gave us the Provan-Summons image. How about Liam Fulton atop a trophy?

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Australia’s Test cricketers can only look on in despair as the old enemy celebrates its Ashes series victory. A few hours later, the English cricketers were found spraying The Oval with another kind of liquid ...

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Trinidad and Tobago’s Jehue Gordon, in lane six, lunged for the line to beat American Michael Tinsley by 0.01 of a second in the 400m hurdles at the IAAF Worlds in Moscow. The T&T government lavished some sweet prizes on their first world champ since Ato Boldon, including free travel on Caribbean Airlines.

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In a few months, someone’s going to win an Olympic gold medal for doing this ... Oscar Wester of Sweden competes in the slopestyle skiing event at the Winter Games NZ at Cardrona Alpine Resort, in which he finished ninth. Slopestyle, in both skiing and snowboarding forms, will make its debut at the Sochi Games next February.

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The famed ride up Ventoux is so gruelling, once you reach the top, it looks like the buildings begin to curve. Chris Froome stamped himself on this year’s Tour with a stage win on the Giant of Provence, only to be rewarded with none-too-subtle questions about doping.

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Spooked, perhaps, by his own shadow, Atlanta Braves’ star outfielder Jason Heyward missed this catch on the wall during a game in Philadelphia. Either that, or he wasn’t paying enough attention while trying to read the scores from the other games ...

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Talk to the hand: South Africa’s Pierre le Roux tried to distract US player John Mann, instead of relying on all the other dirty tactics water polo players usually employ. Mann was having a blinder in the water, scoring five goals in a 16-3 win in prelim round play at the FINA World Championships.

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The NZ Warriors’ Elijah Taylor gets the bends against the Wests Tigers’ defence. But pain is temporary, and wins permanent, as the Warriors spoiled Benji Marshall’s Leichhardt Oval farewell.

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Whether it’s All Blacks or Black Ferns, you’re going to pay for it in the tackle. Renee Wickliffe (right) and Rawinia Everitt stop England’s Harriet Millar-Mills in the Test at Pukekohe. Another familiar rugby result: NZ swept the series.

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Nice when you have the pads on, not so much when you don’t. Usman Khawaja put his body on the line here on day three at Lord’s, but the Australians were already facing a world of hurt in the second Ashes Test.

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Brazilians Taiana Lima (left) and Talita Rocha are veterans of the beach volleyball circuit, but have only teamed since the start of this year. The pairing has been a success, claiming its fourth gold on the FIVB World Tour at this event in Long Beach, California. Said Rocha: “We are so happy playing together.” It certainly looks that way ...

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Petra Kvitova was feeling down in her third-round match, but did advance past Ekaterina Makarova. However, like so many other high seeds at Wimbledon this year, she wasn’t able to avoid an upset, losing in the quarters. One question: why aren’t the towels at Wimbledon mainly white?

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Adrien Broner, potential heir to Floyd Mayweather as the next great boxer, has an unfortunate nickname: “The Problem”. He was causing problems for Paulie Malignaggi here, but Broner was made to work in their fight in Brooklyn, going the distance in a tough decision victory.

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Our humble suggestion: the sport of kabaddi really deserves to be one of the world’s great pastimes. This hybrid of wrestling and schoolyard chasey is popular across southern Asia, and as the Iranian women’s team shows at the Fourth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Korea, it sure looks fun.

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Sharks forward Jean Deysel, plainly channelling the Incredible Hulk, cuts an intimidating figure in his team’s game against the Blues in Durban. The Sharks won the Super Rugby match with a last-minute try, and Deysel presumably finished the game with a shirt.

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The 100th Tour de France began in Corsica, where the peloton was surely chatting about subjects such as Napoleon and rocky outcroppings. The action seen here was from the third stage, which was won by Australian rider Simon Gerrans of the Orica-GreenEdge team.

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This winged spectator got – what else? – a bird’s-eye view of the action at the Adelaide-Richmond match at the MCG. Either that, or it was scoping out Bernie Vince’s hair as a potential nest ...

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You can tell what the Storm’s Kevin Proctor is thinking – “I wonder what my hair is going to look like in this tackle?” Melbourne didn’t look as good as the Gold Coast, as the Titans won an Origin-depleted game.

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Sydney Roosters forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was embroiled in a Twitter scandal this season, after a fan set up a fake account in his name. Against Manly, his main problem was #hithighbyJustinHoro.

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Even when you’re worth $74m, winning is still sweet. Neymar led Brazil to victory in the Confederations Cup, as the Selecao put the world on notice by dominating Spain in the final. One can only imagine how hard they will celebrate if they win the big one next year.

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Jockeys Ian Mongan, left, and Richard Hughes make, well, small talk ahead of the first race at Windsor – incidentally, they weren’t talking about Tom Waterhouse. Mongan’s Twitter account describes him as a “professional jockey, full-time moaner and occasional Peroni drinker”, which would surely give him a lot to talk about.

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US Jared Goldberg crashes into the security net during the men's downhill race at the FIS Ski World Cup on March 2, 2013 in Kvitfjell, Norway. France's Adrien Theaux won the competition, Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal placed 2nd and Austria's Klaus Kroell placed 3rd. AFP PHOTO / SCANPIX NORWAY / CORNELIUS POPPE / NORWAY OUT. Photo: CORNELIUS POPPE/AFP/Getty Images

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France's Bastien Midol crashes during the men's Ski Cross event of the FIS World Cup in Are, Sweden, on March 16, 2013. Photo: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images

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The men’s 100m breaststroke final of the Australian Swimming Championships was taking place in Adelaide – as was the inverted breastroke final in the parallel universe just above them. In that parallel universe, the Aussie men’s relay team are Olympic champions, interestingly.

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Daniel McBreen flashes the secret signal that he’s been using deer antler spray ... Okay, not really. The veteran striker pulled out the “stag dance” after slotting a penalty for the champion Central Coast Mariners in the A-League grand final, capping a season in which he led the comp in goals and was named best on ground in the decider.

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The horror: one of the world’s great running races, the Boston Marathon, experienced its darkest day after the explosion of two bombs killed three people and injured more than a hundred others. This was the scene at Boylston Street, near the finish line.

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The response: a week later, the London Marathon went ahead, feeling a keen sense of solidarity with the victims of Boston. Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede won the race, overtaking Kenya’s Emmanuel Mutai with a kilometre to go and claiming his second London title.

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Nothing good comes from being popped out of a scrum. Saracens’ prop Matt Stevens feels the squeeze from the Ulster pack, but the pain was worth it, as his side advanced in the Heineken Cup quarter-final.

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Competitors in the men’s single ski made their own waves at the National Surf Lifesaving Championships on the Gold Coast. Avoca Beach’s Lachlan Tame won his third straight title in the category, delighting newspaper headline writers everywhere.

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A Bird in hand is worth two in the tackle: a pair of Brisbane defenders was required to slow down Titans star Greg Bird, but the Broncos’ own attack was clicking in a 32-12 win over the Gold Coast in round five.

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Melbourne rookie Dean Terlich looked positively, well, demonic during only his third career game of AFL footy. Even with the bandaged nose, he was surely feeling better than in the previous two weeks, when the hapless Dees had copped floggings by 94 and 148 points.

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Kostya Tszyu’s old mate, Zab Judah, is still at it and was doing it tough against Danny Garcia in their bout in Brooklyn. Judah lasted the distance, but Garcia claimed a unanimous decision and a pair of light welterweight titles.

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The moment Australia had been waiting for – Adam Scott exorcised the nation’s ghosts at Augusta, defeating Angel Cabrera in a thrilling play-off and slipping into the green jacket with the help of Bubba Watson. What’s on the menu for the Champions’ Dinner next year, Scotty?

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It’s brutal on the riders, but the crowds sure enjoy Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The peloton made its way up the Cote de Saint-Roch climb, and Irishman Daniel Martin eventually emerged to win the 99th instalment of the cycling classic.

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American Lain van Ogle crashed into Latvia’s Rihards Veide in the quarter-final round of the UCI World Cup event in Manchester. Van Ogle’s and Veide’s parents, reportedly, will not be confiscating their bikes.

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Is it a spear tackle if the tackler is the one getting speared? (And is it a spear tackle if it’s in the AFL?) GWS Giant youngster Liam Sumner goes high on Melbourne’s Neville Jetta in a match at the MCG.

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Who appears more nervous: show jumping rider, or actually jumping horse? Either way, the nerves didn’t get to Britain’s Michael Whitaker or mount Viking V, as the pair finished second at the inaugural Longines Hong Kong Masters event. Image: Getty Images

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You can tell what Israel Folau is thinking: “I didn’t get tackled like this playing Aussie rules ...” The Waratahs’ convert-turned-convert was held up here by the Melbourne Rebels’ defence, but helped set up two tries in NSW’s Super 15 victory.

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The Utah Jazz’s Jeremy Evans has become known for his creativity at the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest. Here, he caught a pass from a sitting Dahntay Jones while hurdling and hurtling to the rim. It didn’t quite match his masterpiece effort for the night, though – Evans dunked over a painting he made of himself, dunking over a painting. Image: Getty Images

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You have the “don’t argue” – this is the “don’t even ask”. Wests Tigers’ Jacob Miller catches one high from Parramatta’s Chris Sandow, and even though it’s a trial match, they all hurt just the same.

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Early in the AFL season, when players are still brimming with energy, there will be speccies, or at least grand attempts at them. The Pies’ Jamie Elliott almost ended the mark-of-the-year debate with this effort in the NAB Cup. Images: Getty Images

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This is why they call it leg spin ... South Australian wrist spinner Cullen Bailey gets a kick out of bowling during the Redbacks’ Ryobi Cup one-day match against NSW. Can anyone ever remember Warnie getting into this kind of position? Image: Getty Images

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It’s pretty enough to be performance art. Austria’s Marcel Hirscher, on the blue side, races Swede Mattias Hargin in the final of the Nations Team Event during the Alpine FIS Ski World Championships in Austria.

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England’s gun wicketkeeper-batsman, Sarah Taylor, was none too pleased after being dismissed for a duck against the Aussies in a Super Six game at the Women’s World Cup. The result of the match was even worse for Taylor – a two-run loss to the old rivals, which eventually saw England eliminated before the final. Image: Getty Images

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Who saves the life-savers? The boats of the Austinmer and Collaroy clubs collided in the waves at Dee Why Beach. The final event of the Ocean Thunder Surf Boat Series saw Currumbin come out on top. Image: Getty Images

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AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 26: Monty Panesar of England dives into his crease during day five of the Third Test match between New Zealand and England at Eden Park on March 26, 2013 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Johnston/Getty Images)

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PENRITH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 24: Adam Docker of the Panthers is tackled by Sam Burgess of the Rabbitohs during the round three NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Centrebet Stadium on March 24, 2013 in Penrith, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

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COMMERCE CITY, CO - MARCH 22: Defender Geoff Cameron #20 of the United States battles defender Bryan Oviedo #8 of Costa Rica during a FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier match between Costa Rica and United States at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on March 22, 2013 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

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COMMERCE CITY, CO - MARCH 22: Fans of the United States national team cheer, wave a flag, and sing as snow falls during a FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier match between Costa Rica and United States at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on March 22, 2013 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 22: Martin Clarke (bottom) and Alan Toovey of the Magpies both accidentally collide with a training net during a Collingwood Magpies AFL training session at Gosch's Paddock on March 22, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

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HOBART, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 17: Tasmania celebrate winning during day four of the Sheffield Shield match between the Tasmania Tigers and the Victoria Bushrangers at Blundstone Arena on March 17, 2013 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

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CARSON, CA - MARCH 16: Ruslan Provodnikov, of Russia, (R) lands a punch into the head of WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley during the third ninth of the WBO welterweight title boxing match at The Home Depot Center on March 16, 2013 in Carson, California. Bradley won in a narrow unanimous decision over Provodnikov to defend his WBO welterweight belt. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 13: Myck Kabongo #12 of the Texas Longhorns is fouled by Devonta Abron #23 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the first round of the 2013 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship at Sprint Center on March 13, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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MANDURAH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 09: Michael Walters of the Dockers takes high mark during the round three NAB Cup AFL match between the Fremantle Dockers and the Western Bulldogs at Rushton Park on March 9, 2013 in Mandurah, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 28: To launch the release of Nitro Circus 3D : The Movie, available on DVD 25th March, Team Nitro Circus sets a Guinness World Record at 02 Arena on February 28, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)

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The Twitter bio of Aksel Lund Svindal reads: “Most of the time I travel the world in a spandex race suit trying to be fast.” Too fast, plainly, at the World Cup event in Switzerland, but the Norwegian generally avoids the netting – he’s a 2010 Olympic gold medallist, and a two-time world champ in the Super G.

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Noemie Fox, the younger sister of Australia’s London 2012 canoe slalom silver medallist, Jessica Fox, competes in the kayak event of the Australian Youth Olympic Festival at the Penrith White Water Stadium. Another frothy Olympic medal in development?

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The NSW Breakers’ Rachael Haynes – okay, we can’t resist – really threw the bat during her team’s chase of the WA Fury in the final of the women’s T20 competition. The Breakers’ positive play was rewarded, as they caught the target of 127 with five wickets in hand.

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Serena Williams took a spill in her first-round match at the Australian Open against Romanian opponent Edina Gallovits-Hall. But the 15-time Grand Slam singles titlist was really left feeling blue at quarter-final time, when fast-rising American teen Sloane Stephens eliminated Williams in an upset.

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In a sight growing ever less-common these days, Lleyton Hewitt savoured his victory at the AAMI Classic at Kooyong, defeating Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina. Two days later, Hewitt was bounced out of the Australian Open first round by Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.

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Got the number for roadside assist? It could only be the Dakar Rally, as Marc Wams of team HRX waits for driver Erik Van Loon to get out of the car. The pair crashed out in stage six of the famed race, stuck somewhere between Arica and Calama in Chile.

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Even after 18 seasons in the NBA, Kevin Garnett loves to torment the folks who paid a lot of money for courtside seats. KG may not have lost the passion, but his Boston Celtics were floundering, as they lost star Rajon Rondo to injury and were trailing in the race for a play-off spot.

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Batting crease or popping crease, Mitchell Johnson’s moves remain the same, as we saw after this collision with Sri Lankan keeper Dinesh Chandimal during Australia’s first innings of the Test at the SCG. Moments like this aside, Johnson had a great time with the bat this summer.

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There was no New Year’s daze for the Adelaide Strikers’ Kieron Pollard, as the West Indian claimed a sharp catch off his own bowling to dismiss the Melbourne Renegades’ Ben Rohrer in their Big Bash League encounter at Etihad Stadium on January 2. Image: Getty Images

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Hands up if you like bowler rotation! Okay, perhaps not, but Jackson Bird was hardly out of place during his baggy green debut at the Boxing Day Test. In addition to claiming Thilan Samaraweera in the second innings, the young paceman took three more scalps in Australia’s innings win. Image: Getty Images

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Footballers should play with flair, not play with flare ... Western Sydney Wanderer Ante Covic had to remove one of six that were thrown from the crowd in their match against Sydney FC, which was marked by the arrest of four spectators.

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Stars and Scorchers alike were extinguished by rain, as the Big Bash League match between Melbourne and Perth was disrupted by weather. After the Stars’ Lasith Malinga set a BBL record by taking 6 for 7, Melbourne was chasing 70 to win. Rob Quiney and company wouldn’t even need that, as the target was reduced by Duckworth-Lewis – but not before the Melbourne batsmen were incorrectly sent back to the middle.

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What do you mean there’s no ice hockey? The stars of the National Hockey League remain on the sidelines, but the minor leaguers were keeping the rinks warm, as Brett Gallant of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers battled the Syracuse Crunch’s Cory Conacher for the puck in a game in Connecticut.

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Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson was sent flying by St Louis defender Quintin Mikell ... or is that Jackson coming in off the top turnbuckle? Jackson later suffered a ligament tear that ruled him out for the rest of the NFL season. To make it worse, St Louis won the game.

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The idol of the Philippines was out – and his nation of followers were just as stunned, if only metaphorically.

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Face of a nation, face down on the canvas. The fourth fight in the epic rivalry of Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez provided one the most dramatic finishes in ring history, as the Mexican’s right-hand counter caught Pacquiao flush with only a second left in the sixth round.

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Annoyed at all the footballers dabbling in boxing, Cuban fighter Yuriorkis Gamboa cracked and went in for a tackle ... In truth, Gamboa wouldn’t need it, as he made his way to a neat points victory over Michael Farenas.

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Even off his feet, there was no stopping Jamie Dwyer and the Kookaburras. Dwyer scored twice in the semi-final win over India, on their way to claiming victory in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Melbourne.

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Tough game, this women’s cricket. Jenny Wallace of the Western Australia Fury went to ground in running out the South Australia Scorpions’ Bridget Patterson in the Women’s National Cricket League game in Perth. Fury? Scorpions? Women’s cricket really is a tough game ...

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New York Knick Tyson Chandler was the NBA’s defensive player of the year last season, due in large part to his rather unfair ability to levitate. Okay, maybe not, but Chandler and the Knicks were jumping for joy through midseason, as New York had surprisingly emerged as one of the top teams in the East.

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There’s appealing, and there’s plain hoping. The Australians were getting desperate on day five of the Adelaide Test, as Faf du Plessis (at the crease) would prove immovable. The South Africans’ resistance was decisive, as they headed to Perth and claimed the series victory.

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Goalie Roland Mueller of Duisburg was up to the challenge of St Pauli midfielder Florian Kringe, as the two met in this Bundesliga match in Hamburg, Germany.

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While most Australians think about a refreshing plunge in the ocean at this time of year, this is what Winter Olympic gold medallists do when they want to go back-to-back. Freestyle aerial skiing champ Lydia Lassila spends days at this water jump at Lilydale, near Melbourne. Yes, that water is disgusting ... Image: Getty Images

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Gosford was primed for a boozy New Year’s bash when the table-topping Mariners hosted cellar-dwelling Gold Coast on the last day of 2011. Instead, the canny Queenslanders pinched the booze, staving off numerous shots - like this one from Troy Hearfield - to hold the Mariners to a 0-0 draw.

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Who needs coaches when you’ve got thoughtful players like Cam Janssen of the New Jersey Devils (red jersey), seen here politely suggesting to Tim Erixon of the New York Rangers that it might just be time he took a breather on the bench?

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It doesn’t get bigger than this in the States: the conference-topping New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys squaring off on a Sunday evening in front of 80,000 hollerin’ Texans at Cowboys Stadium. Here, Dallas’ Mike Jenkins gets a fingertip to the pigskin to deny Travis Beckum. Still, the New Yorkers nabbed a three-point victory in December 2011. Image: Getty Images

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Bath backrower Guy Mercer discovers that the engine room of the scrum can produce some nasty odours during their Heineken Cup clash with Leinster at Bath’s Recreation Ground. To add to Mercer’s discomfort, Leinster fly-half Jonathan Sexton booted six penalty goals to sink the Englishmen 18-13 in 2011.

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Our own Adam Melling finds himself in a spot of bother during the third round of the 2011 Pipeline Masters at Oahu’s notorious North Shore. Indeed, “bother” may undersell things a touch: with 20-odd foot of tumbling briny above, and a razor sharp reef below, Melling is in serious strife...

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“And on the second day of the 2011 Sailing World Championships at Perth’s Bathers Beach, the Lord opened the clouds and a shaft of heavenly light fell upon the sailboarders. And the sailboarders were amazed...”

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With the big boys of the NBA spending more time in court than on the courts, the American basketball fraternity have been forced to get their kicks from the college circuit. And with blokes like Georgia’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (yep, that is his real name) pulling stunts like this, you can bet they were satisfied.

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There was plenty of dirty play at the inaugural Valley Stampede, a 5km obstacle course race held last month at Glenworth Valley, north of Sydney. The race attracted an astonishing 6000 competitors, which suggests this just might be the start of something big. And smelly.

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Heads up: Oemer Toprak (top) of Leverkusen wins the header over Christian Tiffert of Kaiserslautern during their recent 2011 Bundesliga match.

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There was plenty of dirty play at the inaugural Valley Stampede, a 5km obstacle course race held in December 2011 at Glenworth Valley, north of Sydney. The race attracted an astonishing 6000 competitors, which suggests this just might be the start of something big. And smelly.

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This is not a cutting-edge freestyle water skiing manoeuvre. This is Eka Samudra of Indonesia losing the plot ‒ and, more specifically, the boat ‒ in the men’s slalom event at the Southeast Asian Games in Sumatra, Indonesia, last month.

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If you see an NFL player wearing gloves, you know he’s at least optimistic about getting his hands on the ball at some stage of a game. But it doesn’t always happen, which is perhaps why cornerback Vontae Davis of the Miami Dolphins looks more surprised than Buffalo Bills receiver Stevie Johnson to touch the leather.

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It may surprise some to know there is still a race on the horizon called the America’s Cup (which we again haven’t entered) to be held in San Francisco in 2013, in catamarans. In the lead-up, teams race in a series of World Series regattas. Here, host Oracle Racing jousts with Emirates Team New Zealand off San Diego.

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You used to play a bit of handball at school, right? Probably not THIS handball. Chris Mohr of Great Britain comes to grips with, and shreds, Tomer Shimoni of Israel during a Handball Euro 2012 Qualifier last month in London. For some reason we Australians barely play it. On the evidence in this pic, we should be good at it.

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Team-mate against team-mate: Kangaroo and Tiger Keith Galloway comes to grips with, and throttles, Lion and Tiger Chris Heighington during their Four Nations group match at Wembley Stadium in November 2011. Australia won the match 36-20 and went on to win the tournament.

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It was a love-in of a special kind after the St Louis Cardinals knocked off the Texas Rangers 6-2 to win the World Series in Game Seven at Busch Stadium in St Louis, Missouri in 2011. The Cardinals were more than ten games out of contention in August, endured four elimination games in the post-season, and were twice down to their last strike the night before in Game Six.

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Bill Shankly was wrong – football isn’t a matter of life and death, and that was never more clear than the sight of Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffering a heart attack on the pitch at White Hart Lane in 2012. According to doctors, Muamba was effectively dead for 78 minutes before his miraculous recovery.

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If you’re aboard a horse named Wishful Thinking, maybe you should expect something to go wrong. Jockey Richard Johnson and mount fell during the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase at Cheltenham, and while both were fine, five other horses died during the festival.

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One glimpse at Nic Naitanui, and you understand why the AFL wants to pick off athletes from other countries. A few weeks after this speccy in an NAB Cup match against St Kilda, the West Coast ruckman performed a slam dunk, leaping over the on-court announcer at half-time of a Perth Wildcats match – and drew a quick reprimand from his concerned coach, John Worsfold.

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Think the edge carried to the fielder? We don’t mean the ball, we mean the actual edge of the bat. Hopefully Sri Lanka’s Farveez Maharoof wasn’t too fond of this particular piece of willow, as his team likewise cracked in the chase against the Australians at the 2012 Adelaide Oval one-dayer, falling 16 runs short. Images: Getty Images

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Believe us, the lines on the bottom of the pool of the London Aquatics Centre are actually straight, and not some statement of abstract art. As well as creating interesting pictures, Japan’s Kanako Watanabe competes in the 100m breaststroke at the British Gas Swimming Championships. Image: Getty Images

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The players of Schwerin SC exhibit some team cohesion in claiming the DVV Pokal, or the German volleyball league cup competition, over Rote Raben Vilsbiburg. Schwerin is a bit of a power, having claimed the league seven times since 2000, and long may their fortune continue, we say. Image: Getty Images

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Costa Rican international Kenny Cunningham should get a good score from the judges, with degree of difficulty thrown in. His team did well on the footballing scoreboard, too, defeating Wales 1-0 in a friendly in Cardiff, honouring the late Welsh manager and player, Gary Speed. Image: Getty Images

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If Torrey Mitchell and the rest of San Jose’s NHL team took to the ice with anything other than Split Enz’s Shark Attack playing in the background, we’d be surprised. The Sharks pulled one from the, ahem, jaws, halting the vaunted offense of the visiting Philadelphia Flyers in a 1-0 victory. Image: Getty Images

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Our favourite-named Scot, Dario Franchitti, crossed the bricks and edged out team-mate Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan to win the 96th Indianapolis 500. Franchitti is plainly used to winning – it’s his third victory in the classic race, and he’s married to actress Ashley Judd. Image: Getty Images

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Whenever you lose down force, you know what happens next won’t be happy news. Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi was caught in a collision with Romain Grosjean on the opening lap of the 2012 Monaco GP, sending the Japanese driver into mid-air and eventually forcing him from the race with damage to his suspension. Image: Getty Images

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The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade went in amongst the giants, taking it right to Indiana Pacers centre Roy Hibbert, who stands 25cm taller. The gold-clad Indiana crowd was left blue at the end, as Miami wrapped up the series victory in game six of the Eastern Conference semi-final. Image: Getty Images

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Andy Roddick’s racquet bore the brunt of his loss to Japan’s Go Soeda at the World Team Cup in Germany. Later, it was Roddick himself crashing out in the 2012 French Open first round, prompting the American to comment about clay courts: “I move just horrendously out here.” Image: Getty Images

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Home safe? San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum copped a double whammy, first throwing a wild pitch and then trying to block the plate as Oakland’s Collin Cowgill steamed in from second base. Cowgill scored, and Lincecum suffered further as the Giants went down 6-2. Image: Getty Images

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Briton Christopher Frazer and his mount La Emotion put the show in showjumping during the 83rd German Jumping Derby in 2012 at Klein Flottbek in Hamburg. Later in the competition, La Emotion threw Frazer out of the saddle while going over a hedge – but the rider was able to land on his feet. Image: Getty Images

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The flares weren’t enough of a warning for Hertha Berlin and players Andre Mijatovic and Raffael that they were straying into relegation territory. Second-division Dusseldorf knocked Berlin out of the 2012 Bundesliga with a 2-2 draw, and if this wasn’t enough, the crowd staged a full-on pitch invasion before the game ended. Image: Getty Images

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The party for Williams’ first Formula One win in eight years, at the Spanish GP in Catalunya, got a little out of hand ... Okay, not really. An electrical fault in a fuel rig started a fire at their team garage, and Venezuelan driver Pastor Maldonado, having won the race, also rescued his 12-year-old cousin. Image: Getty Images

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The high priestess at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, played by Ino Menegaki, lights the flame that will eventually find its way to London’s Olympic Stadium at the end of July. Menegaki is an actress whose official bio contains the line: “Most of her professional activity has been dedicated to Ancient Tragedy.” Image: Getty Images

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Floyd Mayweather won his eighth title over five weight divisions with his impressive victory over WBA light middleweight champ Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. No word on whether Mayweather, who began serving a 90-day prison sentence soon after, had to turn in his belts before going into the lock-up ... Image: Getty Images

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Didier Drogba may not have been touched by Liverpool’s Luis Suarez, but the Ivory Coast striker had the touch in the seaon’s in June 2012. After helping Chelsea to victory in the FA Cup, Drogba stood tall in the Blues’ upset over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, a dream farewell to his club of eight years. Image: Getty Images

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“Flashy” and “Cristiano Ronaldo” often find their way into the same sentence, and this effort in Portugal’s quarter-final win over the Czech Republic at Euro 2012 explains why. The Real Madrid star had a great campaign for his country, which gave the champion Spaniards all they could handle before going out on penalties in the semi.

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There may be no crying in baseball, but there is celebrating. Alex Gordon, left, Jarrod Dyson and Jeff Francoeur of the Kansas City Royals take delight in their work, something which surely hasn’t occurred too often for their team, which languishes in the bottom three of the American League.

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The defence begins: reigning Tour de France champion Cadel Evans rolls out for the prologue in Liege, Belgium, beginning the 99th instalment of the cycling classic. Evans finished the opening stage in a solid 13th place, 17 seconds behind the winner, Swiss time trial specialist Fabian Cancellara. Said Evans after the stage: “It’s six kilometres out of 3500.”

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It’s safe to say that the heart rates of the German C2 duo of Robert Behling and Thomas Becker were rapid, as they made their way through the course at the Cardiff International White Water. The pair eventually ended up finishing seventh, and thoroughly drenched.

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A tough season for Valentino Rossi became a lot more unpleasant when the Italian great took a spill during qualifying for the British MotoGP. Rossi’s Ducati team-mate, Nicky Hayden, also crashed on the same stretch of the Silverstone circuit, and while both qualified for the race, they finished in ninth and seventh respectively.

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Hard ball get or eyeball gouge? Melbourne’s James Magner confuses noggin for Sherrin and Brisbane’s Ryan Harwood pays for it. If it was any consolation for Harwood, the Lions came away big winners in the round 14 game at the ‘Gabba, winning by 61 points.

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Got the sinking feeling that this is going to be on the Olympic program soon? Korea’s Lee Myungkyu leads in the semi-final of the Roller Skating 500m sprint, an event of the 3rd Asian Beach Games held in Haiyang, China. One of the other events at the Games: a beach version of Asia’s rugby/wrestling hybrid, kabbadi.

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The champion city of ice hockey is ... Los Angeles? Believe it. The Kings won the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history, defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-2 in the finals series. Now, LA captain Dustin Brown and the rest of his team-mates can look forward to one of the great Cup traditions – every player on the team gets to keep it for a day in the off-season.

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Bet you thought this was Greco-Roman, but it’s not. Ashraf Aliyev of Azerbaijan applies the hold to Sohsuke Takatani of Japan in their match in the 74 kg class of the men’s freestyle wrestling – and while it didn’t look very dignified, Aliyev was successful, advancing to the quarter-finals.

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Action figures: no two athletes left their mark on the 2012 Games quite like Mo Farah and Usain Bolt, and the respective kings of distance and sprint running paid a compliment to the other by striking their trademark poses.

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The weight of expectation was too much for some Olympians. For Egypt’s Khalil Mahmoud K Abir Abdelrahman, it was just plain weight. Competing in the women’s 75kg class, Abdelrahman buckled under her final attempt at a lift of 151kg. The bar struck the 20-year-old in the chest, and she was taken to hospital.

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Germany’s discus gold medallist, Robert Harting, staged one of the Games’ more vivid celebrations, first emulating the Hulk and then bounding his way over the women’s 100m hurdles course. While continuing his celebrations later that night, he lost his athlete accreditation, was refused access to the village, and had to sleep in a train station.

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Even from above, the size of Opals Suzy Batkovic (reaching for the ball) and Liz Cambage (no.14) stood out against the Chinese. The Australian women’s streak of basketball silvers came to an end in London, but they did earn bronze, and gave the dominant United States their toughest test, leading at the half of their semi-final.

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China’s Lu Dong wasn’t about to let go any of the spoils of Paralympic victory. One of three competitors in her event who did not have arms, she dominated the S6 100m backstroke swimming, setting a Games record in the heats and a world mark of 1 min, 24.71 sec in the final.

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When you move at Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s speed, your lips would purse, too. The Jamaican was again crowned the fastest woman in the world in London, defending the 100m title she won in 2008, becoming the third female and the first from outside the United States to pull off the coveted double.

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Horse Guards Parade had never seen anything like it. And although the temperatures forced competitors to add layers at times, Spain’s Elsa Baquerizo and her fellow players brought that beach volleyball sizzle right to the heart of London.

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Having once left her prosthetic leg at a party, Kelly Cartwright found out her friends had used it to drink out of. There will be pleny more toasts made to the 23-year-old Victorian, who soared past a field of more able-bodied competitors to claim gold in the Paralympic long jump.

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A call for handball: the South Koreans defended stoutly against Victoria Zhilinskayte’s shot, and went on to defeat Russia in the quarter-final of the women’s handball event. While its team eventually bowed out in the semi-finals, Korea had plenty to cheer in London, finishing fifth on the medal table with 13 golds. Image: Getty Images

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In the parlance of soccer, it’s what you’d call a rather crude challenge. Canberra United’s Georgia Yeoman-Dale and Rebekah Stott of the Melbourne Victory play for keeps during an early-season W-League 2012 match in Melbourne. Image: Getty Images

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NASCAR people are always telling us that their drivers are genuine athletes. Ricky Stenhouse Jr went inverted after claiming victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2012, making it back-to-back wins on NASCAR’s secondary Nationwide Series. Image: Getty Images

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The Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek goes Incredible Hulk after defeating Spain’s Nicolas Almagro in the 2012 Davis Cup final. The Czechs exulted in their Cup victory, their first since Ivan Lendl was winning it far less emotionally for the former Czechoslovakia in 1980. Image: Getty Images

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A star-spangled John Daly encountered trunk trouble in the 2012 Hong Kong Open, and he spiralled to a missed cut. True to form – and almost exactly a year after his Aussie Open blow-up – Daly was fined by tour officials for tossing his putter into the trees after being annoyed by ringing mobiles in the crowd. Image: Getty Images

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James Pattinson helps South African captain Graeme Smith with directions to the pavilion during day five of the 2012 ‘Gabba Test. Pattinson had to enjoy the moment: the first match of the series was definitely not one for the bowlers, as batsmen on both sides piled on the runs. Image: Getty Images

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With the way the Brits rode the track at the Olympics, you’d think they were infallible. But Jason Kenny suffered a rather ungainly crash during the kierin event at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Glasgow. Image: Getty Images

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Guys finally getting into synchro? Alas no. Guilherme Guido of Brazil works on his start in 100m backstroke heats at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Berlin. Guido won the 50m back, so the synchro career will have to wait ... Image: Getty Images

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Formula One’s return to the United States also gave most of the world its first look at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Purpose-built for F1, although scheduled to hold Moto GP and even V8 Supercar races, the circuit covers an elevation change of some 40m, the highest point being turn one, just beyond the exit of pit lane seen here. The drivers gave the new track a rave – Lewis Hamilton in particular, as he took first place. Image: Getty Images

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Phoenix, among the flames: auto racing glamour girl Danica Patrick was literally on fire at the NASCAR race in Arizona. But like the bird of myth, she made a comeback to finish 21st. Soon after the race, Patrick divorced her husband of seven years. Coincidence? Image: Getty Images

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“So that’s what major-winning form looks like ...” Former women’s tennis No.1 Caroline Wozniacki watched beau and current golf No.1 Rory McIlroy. The galleries, meanwhile, watched Caroline. Image: Getty Images

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The latest fad in US college basketball: playing on aircraft carriers. Amy Scullion of Ohio State University and Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins battled on the USS Yorktown, but several other games on warships were cancelled because the courts became too slippery. Image: Getty Images

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From "Moneyball" to Funnyball: the Oakland Athletics feted outfielder Coco Crisp with a pie to the face and a Gatorade bath after he delivered the winning hit in game four of the American League division series against the Detroit Tigers. By the time Crisp cleaned up,though, the Tigers came back to win their way to the 2012 World Series, where they eventually lost to the San Francisco Giants. Image: Getty Images

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Jamie Whincup was playing an angle at the Gold Coast 600, but the Bathurst winner was able to avoid the pile-ups that troubled the first of two races in Surfers Paradise. The win extended reigning champion Whincup’s lead in the V8 series. Image: Getty Images

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The Wallabies lifted, and not only in the line-out, against the All Blacks in the third Test of the 2012 Bledisloe Cup series at Suncorp Stadium. But Sam Whitelock and the rest of the New Zealanders were able to match the Australians’ level – exactly level, as the two played to an 18-18 draw.

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A day at the beach has an entirely different meaning for the competitors at Weston-Super-Mare in England. The Beach Motorcyle Races celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2012, drawing 600 riders to what is now one of Britain’s biggest off-road events.

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Swamp thing? The gent in the picture puts the mud into Tough Mudder 2012, competing at the popular endurance race in New Jersey. Image: Getty Images

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One Australian team came away from the 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka with the trophy ... The Southern Stars’ four-run win over England in the final gave some much-deserved exposure to women’s cricket, which has taken to the T20 format. Image: Getty Images

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When Beefy meets rocky: cricket great and golf tragic Sir Ian Botham found the not-so-fair way at the Kingsbarns course in Scotland, playing in the 2012 Dunhill Links pro-am event. Young English pro David Horsey could carry Botham only as far as 53rd place in the teams portion of the tournament. Image: Getty Images

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Oakland’s Jonny Gomes gets a kick from champagne after his team topped the Texas Rangers to win the American League West division. With the euphoria bubbling over, you have to be impressed that Gomes. Image: Getty Images

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are so overjoyed at the news they’ll be playing at the SCG in 2014, that they rip a team-mate’s shirt off. Okay, not really – Elian Herrera is mobbed after knocking in the winning runs against the Dodgers’ main rival, San Francisco. Image: Getty Images

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Move over Wallabies; her come the Steelers. Chris Bond rashed into Canadian Travis Murao, as Australia\'s wheelchair rugby team broke through in London with a 66-51 win. The Aussie murderballers claimed their first paralympic gold after silers in 2000 and 2008.

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Seven championships, and this can still happen to a driver like Michael Schumacher. The German saw his Mercedes disintegrate after a crash at the 2012 SIngapore Grand Prix. Image: Getty Images

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And you though NRL refs were band ... The NFL\'s use of replacement officials while it sidelined its main referees because of an industrial dispute caused a national outcry. This blown call at the end of Green Bay-Seattle game was the last straw, bringing the real refs back within a week. Image: Getty Images

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Scuderia Toro Ross\'s Jean Eric vergne gets ready for take-off at the Italian GP. The Frenchman had arough couple of races - two weeks later, he crashed into Schumacher, causing the carnage in the picture above. Image: Getty Images

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Venezueelan Paralympian Jesus Aguilar let the stadium know he was fine after crashing at the finish ilne of the 800 m heats in the T53 class at the 2012 Paralympics. Aguilar didn\'t make the final, which was eventually won by Australian Richard Coleman. Image: Getty Images

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Hop, skip, jump ... crash? Triple jumping is a hard enough discipline - try doing it blind. Brazil\'s Luciano Dos Santos pereira collided with an official while competing in the F11 class for the visually impaired, but went on to record a best jump of 11.02 metres, good for ninth place at the 2012 Paralympics.

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Finals fling: Bronco fullback Josh Hoffman made an admirable last-ditch effort on Cowboy Brent Tate, but it was North Queensland advancing past Brisbane in the intra-state September elimination.

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\"On your deathbed your will achieve total consciousness.\" Bill Murray has that going for him , as well as pocketing the Ryder Cup during a celebrity event before the matches. Alas, Murray\'s comp

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Honestly, wouldn\'t you rather watch the monkey try to get over the plate? Actor Tyler Labine was given the \"honour\" of tossing the primate-delivered opening ptich at a San Diego Padres game. Unfortunately for Labine, who was in \"Rise Of Planet of the Apes\", the monkey is arguably more famous - it was in \"The Hangover II\"

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He's the goods: Sydney star Adam Goodes was monumental in his teams' grand final victory over Hawthorn, playing for three quarters on what was later found to be a torn posterior cruciate ligament. The Swans' doctor said a PCL tear usually meant an immediate six weeks out, but Goodes lasted through his 319th AFL game - and second grand final win.

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 29: Jack Darling of the Eagles crashes over the top of Matt Dea of the Tigers during the round five AFL match between the Richmond Tigers and the West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium on April 29, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)