Top 10 sports newsmakers of 2012

Sachin Tendulkar: He has been a newsmaker for India for the last 23 years. The legendary cricketer went on to become a Member of the Parliament when he was nominated to the Upper House by the President of India. Sachin, who donned the cover of the Times magazine in 2012 May, also completed his ton of international centuries in March 2012, when he slammed his maiden ODI ton against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup.

Lance Armstrong: Probably the greatest doping scandal as the seven-time Tour de France winner was banned for life after being accused of orchestrating the most sophisticated doping programme in the history of sport. Armstrong, who has never admitted using performance-enhancing drugs, was wiped from the sport's record books. He also faces legal actions which could see him required to return millions in prize money and bonus payments.

Lionel Messi: Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi set a new record for goals in a calendar year when he reached 86 for 2012. He equalled German legend Gerd Mueller's mark from 1972 when he sent the ball home in the 16th minute of La Liga clash at Real Betis from a pass by Adriano. The 25-year-old then added a second in the 25th minute from an Andres Iniesta backheel nine minutes later to claim the record.

Andrew Flintoff: Former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff began his boxing career with a narrow victory over Richard Dawson after being knocked down by the American initially. The former England cricket captain beat Dawson 39-38 on points after a lively affair in front of 5,000 raucous fans at the Manchester Arena, but only after being knocked down in the second round of the four-round contest.

India's Olympic winners: London Olympics was undoubtedly the best for the Indian sports. Six medals were won by the Indians - Mary Kom (Bronze in women's boxing), Saina Nehwal (bronze in badminton), Sushil Kumar (Silver in wrestling), Gagan Narang (Bronze in Shooting), Vijay Kumar (Silver in Shooting) and Yogeshwar Dutt (Bronze in wrestling). Sushil is the only Indian sportsman to have won Olympic medals in two consecutive editions (he had won a bronze in 2008 at Beijing).

Sebastian Vettel: In a gripping season-ending race in Brazil, Vettel became the youngest triple champion in Formula One history. The 25-year-old German Red Bull driver, who was involved in an opening lap collision with Bruno Senna, finished sixth. His only title rival, Fernando Alonso, finished second, but it was not enough to overhaul a pre-race 13-point deficit as Vettel winning the crown by just three points.

Andy Murray: Murray's five-set win over Novak Djokovic at the US Open made him the first British man to win a Grand Slam singles title in 76 years. The victory came just weeks after he had won Olympic gold at the All England Club beating Roger Federer, the man who had denied him in the Wimbledon final.

Serena Williams: Down and out after her worst career Grand Slam defeat at the French Open where she was a first round loser, the American thundered back, winning Wimbledon, Olympic gold, the US Open and the season-ending WTA Championships. Not surprisingly, she was voted the tour's player of the year.

West Indies team: Darren Sammy's West Indies were crowned the World Twenty20 champions in October after a 36-run victory over hosts Sri Lanka in a dramatic final in Colombo. It was the first world title for the West Indies since the 60-over World Cup triumph under Clive Lloyd in 1979, and handed Sri Lanka their fourth defeat in a major final since 2007.

Usain Bolt: Jamaican superstar Bolt sprinted into the record books at the London Olympics, his double-triple of 100m, 200m and a world-record setting 4x100m relay exhausting superlatives. "I'm now a legend, I'm the greatest athlete to live," said Bolt. The 26-year-old now wants to reclaim the world 100m title he lost to compatriot Yohan Blake in 2011 after being disqualified for a false start in the final.