Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (center) takes part in the End Racism event ahead of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in the Emirati city of Abu Dhabi on Dec 13, 2020. (HAMAD I MOHAMMED / POOL / AFP)
BEIJING - As the sporting year draws to a close, here is Xinhua News Agency's selection of the world's top 10 world sports personalities in 2020:
1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain, motor racing)
The 35-year-old Mercedes driver clinched the F1 World Championship title this season to equal Michael Schumacher's record of seven world titles. On October 25, Hamilton took his landmark 92nd career victory to break the sport's all-time win record.
Spain's Rafael Nadal returns to Russia's Daniil Medvedev during their men's singles semi-final match on day seven of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London on Nov 21, 2020. (GLYN KIRK / AFP)
2. Rafael Nadal (Spain, tennis)
Nadal won a record-extending 13th French Open in 2020. The Spaniard now has 20 Grand Slam titles, tying Roger Federer's men's all-time record. The 34-year-old also became the fourth male player to reach 1,000 Tour-level wins in November.
ALSO READ: Top 10 world sports news events in 2020
This handout photograph released by the Olympic Information Services (OIS) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), shows China's Gu Ailing as she competes during the Freestyle Skiing Women's Freeski Big Air Finalat Leysin Park on Jan 22, 2020, during The Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games. (CHLOE KNOTT / OIS/IOC / AFP)
3. Gu Ailing (China, freestyle skiing)
The 17-year-old talent took two golds in the Women's Halfpipe event and Big Air event at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne in January. In February, Gu topped the podium twice in the Halfpipe event and Freeski Slopestyle event in FIS Freeski World Cup in Calgary, becoming the first freestyle skier to win back-to-back titles in one World Cup competition.
Bayern Munich's Polish striker Robert Lewandowski plays the ball during the UEFA Champions League group A football match Bayern Munich v Salzburg in Munich, southern Germany on Nov 25, 2020. (CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP)
4. Robert Lewandowski (Poland, football)
The 32-year-old Pole won the 2020 FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year award and the 2019/20 UEFA Men's Player of The Year award. Lewandowski was the top scorer in the German Bundesliga, German Cup, and UEFA Champions League in the 2019-20 season as his club Bayern Munich won the treble.
Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan performs in the gala event at the Japan's figure skating national championships in Nagano on Dec 28, 2020. (PHOTO / STR / JIJI PRESS / AFP)
5. Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan, figure skating)
Hanyu, 26, won gold in the men's singles event at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in February with a world-record 111.82 points in the short program, becoming the first male skater to complete the Super Slam of the junior world title, world title, Olympic gold, Grand Prix Final and continental championship. The Japanese won the ISU Award for Most Valuable Skater of the season in July. He also won his fifth national title in December.
In this file photo taken on Aug 14, 2020 Venezula's Yulimar Rojas celebrates after winning the women's triple jump event during the Diamond League Athletics Meeting at The Louis II Stadium in Monaco. (MATTHIAS HANGST / POOL / AFP)
6. Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela, triple jump)
Rojas, 25, won four competitions this year, including two Wanda Diamond League meetings in Monaco and Castellon, Spain. At the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in February, she leaped 15.43m to break the world indoor record by seven centimeters. Rojas was named female World Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2020.
This Oct 11, 2020 photo, shows LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (DOUGLAS P DEFELICE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
7. Lebron James (United States, basketball)
The 36-year-old James led the Los Angles Lakers to win the NBA 2019-20 season with an average of 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists in the finals, crowned his fourth NBA finals MVP.
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar rides during his breakaway in the Men's Elite Road Race, a 258.2-kilometer route around Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, on Sept 27, 2020 as part of the UCI 2020 Road World Championships. (LUCA BETTINI / POOL / AFP)
8. Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia, cycling)
Pogacar, 21, claimed the Tour de France title in September, becoming the youngest winner since 1904. He is also the first cyclist in Tour de France history to claim the yellow jersey, the polka dot king of the mountains jersey, and the best U-26 rider's white jersey at the same time.
Sweden Armand Duplantis clears 6.15m to set a new Men's pole vault world record during the IAAF Diamond League competition on Sept 17, 2020 at the Olympic stadium in Rome. (ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP)
9. Armand Duplantis (Sweden, pole vault)
Duplantis, 21, broke the pole vault world record twice, conquering 6.17m and 6.18m on back-to-back weekends in February. The Swede also set a world outdoor all-time best of 6.15m in September and finished the year undefeated in 16 competitions. He is the youngest athlete ever named World Athlete of the Year at the World Athletics Awards 2020.
READ MORE: Djokovic withdraws from ATP Player Council elections
Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns to Austria's Dominic Thiem during their men's singles semi-final match on day seven of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London on Nov 21, 2020. (GLYN KIRK / AFP)
10. Novak Djokovic (Serbia, tennis)
Djokovic, 33, claimed his eighth Australian Open title to add his total number of Grand Slam titles to 17. He won the ATP's top award as the year-end No 1 for a record-equaling sixth time.
