Related:
China's Top 10 Sports News in 2012
Eight sports rookies of 2012
Chinese athletes in the spotlight in 2012
Following are world's top 10 athletes for the year of 2012 selected by Xinhua News Agency:
1. Usain Bolt (male, track and field)
The 26-year-old Jamaica sprint king proved his title of "the fastest man on earth" when he won men's 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold medals in London Olympics to repeat his success from Beijing 2008 - a feat never achieved before.