As the sporting year draws to a close, here is a selection of the world's top 10 athletes in 2022:
Messi helped Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar after 36 years. With seven goals and three assists, Messi won the tournament's Golden Ball. He also became the most-capped player at the World Cup with 26 appearances.
38-year-old Kipchoge claimed the 48th Berlin Marathon title with a new world record of two hours, one minute and nine seconds, breaking his own record from 2018 by 30 seconds.
Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema poses with the men's Ballon d'Or Trophy during the 2022 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, Oct. 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
Benzema claimed the 2022 Ballon d'Or after a dazzling season with Real Madrid, which saw the Spanish giants win both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. He also became the top scorer in both domestic and continental tournaments.
Katie Ledecky of the United States celebrates after the women's 1500m freestyle final at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, June 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Ledecky won women's 800m freestyle at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, to take the fifth consecutive title in the event. In this tournament, the 25-year-old clinched four gold medals to take her world championships gold medal tally to 19. Ledecky also broke the women's short-course world record in the 1,500m and 800m freestyle at the FINA World Cup.
Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the 2022 Formula One Mexico Grand Prix at the Hermanos Rodriguez Circuit in Mexico City, Mexico, on Oct. 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)
Red Bull's Verstappen won the F1 Japanese Grand Prix to seal the 2022 F1 Drivers' World Championship title ahead of schedule. He then took a record 14th win in a single Formula 1 season with victory in the Mexico City Grand Prix, surpassing Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel's joint record of 13. With his win in the Abu Dhabi finale, Verstappen's single-season winning record was finally set at 15.
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