Top 100 Athletes of 2021: Ultimate list of the world’s sporting stars

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A female sprinter who challenged “unbreakable” world records, a 50-year-old man who created history or a controversial tennis player who went oh so close to the ultimate.

They are three of the choices for the 2021 Sportsperson of the Year, or in terms of names Jamaica’s sprint sensation Elaine Thompson-Herah, golfer Phil Mickelson or tennis genius Novak Djokovic.

Thompson-Herah, 29, ran 10.54sec for the 100m and 21.53sec for the 200m, making her the second fastest in history behind Florence Griffith Joyner (10.49 and 21.34).

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History doesn’t lie in golf, highlighting Mickelson’s remarkable two-shot victory at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, when he became the oldest major championship winner at 50 years, 11 months and seven days.

Then there was “The Djoker”, who was just one win away from joining Rod Laver (twice) and Don Budge as the only men to win all four grand slam titles in a calendar year.

Naturally, lists such as these are highly subjective and I make no apology for the bias towards Australian sportspersons.

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Originally published as Top 100 Athletes of 2021: Ultimate list of the world’s sporting stars