Abu's chosen few

THERE have been a number of dominant performances in sport throughout the year making this a tough choice.

Some of the highlights, for me, include Graeme McDowell who at the age of 31 became the first UK golfer to win the US Open since Tony Jacklin 40 years earlier and then sank the winning putt for Europe to win the Ryder Cup.

There is also Andreas Thorkildsen who won the European Championship gold in Barcelona to become the first male javelin thrower in history to be European, Olympic and world champion at the same time.

American basketball star Kobe Bryant, cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers team, won his fifth title and his second MVP Award.

The FIFA World Cup produced some remarkable performances. Diego Forlan won the Golden Ball as Best Player after scoring five goals for Uruguay and 28 goals for his club, Atletico Madrid, two in the UEFA Europa League final victory over Fulham.

Andres Iniesta, the brilliant play-maker of Barcelona, could also push him after scoring the winning goal for Spain in the 116th minute of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final against the Netherlands in South Africa and was named Man of the Match.

India's Sachin Tendulkar also warrants a mention after becoming the first man to score a double century in a One Day International, hitting an unbeaten 200 for India against South Africa, and in October he became the first man to score 14,000 runs in Test cricket during the second Test against Australia in Bangalore. It was his 171st Test match, in which he also scored his 49th Test century. Unsurprisingly he was named International Cricket Council Player of the Year.

However, I have narrowed my personal favourites down to two. Spain's Rafael Nadal became the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win three tennis Grand Slams (the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open), doing so on three different surfaces. When he beat Novak Djokovic to win his first US Open, he became the seventh man to win all four Grand Slams, and at 24 years 101 days the third youngest after Don Budge and Rod Laver.

Manny Pacquiao, rated No 1 'pound-for-pound' boxer in the world by the authoritative Ring magazine, became the first boxer to win world titles in eight different weight divisions when he beat Mexico's Antonio Margarito in Dallas in November to win the WBC light-middleweight title. The 31-year-old from the Philippines was named 'Fighter of the Decade' for the 2000s by the US Boxing Writers' Association. Away from the ring he has also turned politician and philanthropist and is a unifying force throughout the Philippines.

Abu George Nomination - Manny Pacquiao

Sportswoman of the Year

American Lindsey Vonn has been the dominant women's skier for three years and in 2010 proved herself to be one of the greatest of all time after another brilliant season. She won her third straight overall World Cup in 2009/10, and also won the Olympic Downhill gold medal in Vancouver in February - the first American woman to do so. In a glittering career, at the age of just 26, she has already recorded 33 World Cup wins in four disciplines - Downhill, Super G, Slalom and Super Combined.

Croatia's Blanka Vlasic established herself as the pre-eminent high jumper in the world in 2010. She won the European Championship gold medal in Barcelona to add to the gold medal she won at the World Indoor Championships in Doha, plus she won 12 out of her 14 competitions during the year, including all seven Diamond League meetings at which her event was contested. Unsurprisingly she was also named European Athlete of the Year.

You can never discount American Serena Williams who has already won a record three Laureus World Sports Awards. This year she won two Grand Slams, the Australian Open and Wimbledon, in 2010, to take her career record to 13 singles Grand Slam wins - sixth on the all time list. However, she lost her world No 1 ranking to Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki on October 11.

Abu George Nomination - Blanca Vlasic

Team of the Year

In a year with so many teams triumphing over adversity (New Orleans Saints) or bitter rivals (LA Lakers over the Boston Celtics) or breaking a long-running losing run (Chicago Blackhawks) the winner of this award has to be special.

There was also the nail-biting victory of the European Ryder Cup team with Graeme McDowell sinking the winning putt on the penultimate hole. However, at this level there is no room for sentimentality - the recipient has to be truly special, which is why I have personally discounted all of the above!

Red Bull dominated the Formula One World Constructors Championship in only their sixth year of competition in 2010. They also won the individual drivers' title through Sebastian Vettel with Mark Webber finishing third.

Spain's footballers won their first-ever FIFA World Cup after defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final in South Africa with a headed goal by Andres Iniesta in extra time. They are also current European Champions. Following the victory in South Africa, seven Spanish players were nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award - Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, David Villa and Xavi. Spain won the tournament conceding just two goals, the lowest by any World Cup winner. They also became the only team that has won the World Cup after losing its opening game and the first European team to win a World Cup outside its continent.

Football also provides another strong contender in Inter Milan.

Under coach Jose Mourinho, now with Real Madrid, they became the first winners of the Italian treble, capturing the Champions League, Serie A (Italian League) and the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup).

It was the fifth successive year Inter Milan have won Serie A, equalling the all-time record. In the Champions League, Inter's best performance was the semi-final win over 2009 champions Barcelona in Milan, coming from behind to win 3-1. In the final they beat Bayern Munich 2-0 with Diego Milito scoring both goals. Argentinian Milito scored 30 goals in all competitions and was voted European Player of the Year. They also visited Bahrain!

Abu George Nomination - Spain

Breakthrough of the Year

The New Orleans Saints produced one of the most memorable Super Bowl moments with a 31-17 victory over Indianapolis Colts back in February to win the trophy for the first time. The post-match celebrations spread from the bars of Bourbon Street to the long-suffering households of the Lower Ninth Ward, badly affected by Hurricane Katrina, as the city exploded in joy.

Hero on the field was quarterback Drew Brees, who has played a major role in the city's relief efforts and who completed 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns and was named Most Valuable Player

Spain's Jorge Lorenzo broke two bones in his hand in a crash pre-season yet finished second on a Yamaha in the opening MotoGP race in Qatar. He went on to win nine races during the year and clinched his first senior World Championship with three races still to go in October at the Malaysian Grand Prix, overhauling Valentino Rossi's record season points tally in the process. He also achieved this as the team's No. 2 rider behind Rossi.

Germany's Sebastian Vettel drove a brilliant race in Abu Dhabi in November to become the youngest ever winner of the Formula One World Championship, at 23 years 134 days, overtaking Britain's Lewis Hamilton, who held the previous record with 23 years 300 days.

Abu George Nomination - Jorge Lorenzo

Comeback of the Year

Britain's Jessica Ennis is following in the steps of the great Carolina Kluft by adding the European Championship heptathlon title to her World Championship gold of 2009. She also won the pentathlon gold at the World Indoor Championship in Doha and was runner-up to Vlasic in the vote to be 2010 European Athlete of the Year

Abu George Nomination - Jessica Ennis

So, who would you vote for?