Top 10 sporting memories of 2012

Manchester City win their first Premier League title for 44 years 2012 was a brilliant year in the global sporting calendar. We had all the highs and lows, with tears and cheers, frowns and smiles, tragedies on and off the pitch, the inspiring of a generation with new role-models and stars. As always, the heroes will be remembered and the villains will be forgotten.
Here are our top ten sporting moments of 2012, in reverse order.
10) Vettel win third F1 title
Red Bull Racing's German sensation Sebastien Vettel won his third Formula One title after a truly dramatic season. By the end, Vettel pipped Ferrari's Fernando Alonso by just three points after an incident packed Brazilian GP. In the Bahrain Grand Prix, Vettel began on pole and lead throughout for victory. Finn Kimi Räikkönen finished second from 11th and his team-mate Romain Grosjean took the first podium finish of his career by finishing third. The title triumph meant Vettel became only the third driver in F1 history to win three championships in a row.
9) Europe retain Ryder Cup in style
The Ryder Cup is thrilling pretty much every year and 2012 was no exception. Europe pulled of a stunning comeback on the final day to pip USA to the post, and retain the trophy they looked like losing for much of the duration. At the start of the final day's play, in Illinois, US led 10–6 and required 4½ points to win; Europe required 8 points to retain the cup and 8½ to win it outright. Europe achieved one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history by winning eight and tying one of the 12 singles matches. Martin Kaymer's putt on the 18th hole beat Steve Stricker to make it 14–13 with one match still going on. Tiger Woods missed a putt on the final green and conceded the hole making it 14½–13½ to Europe.
8) Usain Bolt proves too fast
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt proved he remains the king of the sprint with a dominant performance at London 2012. The 'fastest man on the planet' won the 100 metres gold medal with a time of 9.63 seconds, setting a new Olympic record for that distance and defending his gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Bolt then defender his 200 metres gold medal with a time of 19.32 seconds. As a result, he became the first man in history to defend both the 100m and 200m Olympic sprint titles. There was still time to help Jamaica to gold in the 4×100 metres relay, with a record-breaking performance on the final day.
7) West Indies win Twenty20
Chris Gayle is a batting machine. The West Indies skipper ensured his country won their first Twenty20 crown in style with victory over host nations Sri Lanka in the final. While it was the bowling which beat Sri Lanka in the final, it was Gayle's batting which set Australia home in the semi-finals. His 75 not out helped the Windies post a mammoth 205-4 in 20 overs and qualify for the final.
4) Spain win Euro 2012
Spain maintained their dominance in the International arena with a superb campaign at Euro 2012 in the summer. Before the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, there were fears of racism. Afterwards, a new region was reborn. The Spaniards, winners of the 2010 World Cup, played attractive football throughout, destroying Italy 4-0 in Kiev. It was a masterclass in attacking football.
6) Magical Messi breaks goalscoring record
Lionel Messi might well be the greatest player to have lived. He moved one step closer to that accolade by scoring the most club goals in a calendar year, beating German Gerd Muller's record of 85 with a brace against Real Betis in December. He ended the year with 91.
5) Chelsea are kings of the Champions League
Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League against all odds, overcoming old enemy Barcelona in the semi-final before beating Bayern Munich in their home stadium on penalties. For caretaker boss Roberto di Matteo it was the stuff of dream. Striker Didier Drogba scored the winning spot-kick and decided to move on. He said the time was right, and what a way to sign out it was.
4) Murray ends 73-year Grand Slam wait
Andy Murray ended a 73-year wait for a Briton to win one of the Tennis grand slams with victory at the US Open. The Scotland-born Tennis star reached the final of Wimbledon in the summer, but saw his dream shattered by Roger Federer. He was not to be denied, and after beating Federer to gold at London 2012, he overcame Novak Djokovic to be crowned king od Flushing Meadows.
3) Mo Farah wins double gold at London 2012
Somali-born British athlete Mo Farah was the standout performer in the long-distance running arena and London 2012 was his highlight. In his home city, Farah won the 10,000m gold in a time of 27:30.42. Later, he won the 5000 metres in a time of 13:41.66.It was a sensational effort and saw him rewarded with a CBE.
2) Ahly win African Champions League
This could arguably be number one. Egyptian team al-Ahly defied the odds to be crowned African Champions League winners in 2012. Hossam el-Badry's saw the domestic Egyptian Premier League suspended due to a major incident at the Post Said stadium in February. Seventy-nine people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in violent clashes between Ahly and al-Masry fans. Despite this, the club remained strong and in November, Ahly beat Tunisian team Esperance to be crowed champions. It was quite an amazing achievement.
1) Manchester City win Premier League title
This is the sporting moment of 2012. Arab-owned Manchester City secured their first title for 44 years in the most dramatic fashion possible, edging past rivals Manchester United on goal difference in a memorable final day of the season. All City had to do was beat QPR to stay ahead on goal difference. United were at Sunderland and were hoping City failed at home. Mark Hughes' QPR gave Roberto Mancini's men an almighty run, until the 93rd minute when Sergio Aguero scored a sensational goal to complete a City comeback from 1-2 down to 3-2 up. That was the goal that won the title. It was the moment of 2012.