Here is Press Association Sport’s selection of the pictures of 2018.
Soaring into the sky (PA ref: 34909094)
Alexandra Kustova of Olympic Athletes from Russia soars into the sky at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The participation of Russian athletes overshadowed the build-up and much of the Games themselves, following the Sochi 2014 doping scandal. Those representing Olympic Athletes from Russia had to receive special dispensation to compete (David Davies/PA).
Catch me if you can (PA ref: 34986653)
China’s Hao Zhang and Yu Xiaoyu compete in the free skate section of the pairs figure skating final during the Winter Olympics. The athletic and aesthetic pursuit proved alluring to spectators in Pyeongchang, South Korea (Mike Egerton/PA).
Heat on Hartley (PA ref: 35012663)
Dylan Hartley is pictured during an intense training session on a cold February day. The Northampton hooker and his England team endured mixed fortunes in 2018. A fifth-placed finish and a run of five losses put pressure on Eddie Jones, but England responded. Hartley finished the year on the bench for the final Test of the 2018 with Australia (Adam Davy/PA).
Calamity for Christie – again (PA ref: 35038220)
Short-track skater Elise Christie crashes in the 1500metres. After three disqualifications at the Sochi 2014 Games, Christie returned hungry to prove her detractors wrong. Only her ill-fortune continued, with further disqualifications and injury seeing her end her Games on her bottom on the ice (Mike Egerton/PA).
Sliding supreme (PA ref: 34846410)
Lizzy Yarnold slides in the penultimate run of her women’s skeleton final. Dom Parsons’ men’s bronze was followed 24 hours later by bronze for Laura Deas in the women’s event, behind Yarnold. Yarnold became the first Briton to successfully defend a Winter Olympics title (David Davies/PA).
KJT raises the bar (PA ref: 35298281)
Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson competes in the high jump as she bids for pentathlon glory at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham. The Liverpool athlete bounced back from a tough couple of years to win gold before going on to add the Commonwealth title and European silver in the heptathlon. (Simon Cooper/PA).
In pursuit of glory (PA ref: 35836947)
England’s Emily Nelson, Rebecca Reybould, Ellie Dickinson and Emily Kay compete in the team pursuit at the Commonwealth Games. There was no medal for the young English quartet, but there was plenty of Home Nations success on the Brisbane boards, with golds for Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Charlie Tanfield and Mark Stewart (Martin Rickett/PA).
Almost unparalleled (PA ref: 35913300)
Nile Wilson competes in the parallel bars in which he won one of five medals at April’s Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast. Wilson took silver on the apparatus and the rings, plus gold medals in the all-around, horizontal bar and the men’s team gold, to show British men’s gymnastics is not all about Max Whitlock (Danny Lawson/PA).
Makwala makes headlines on the track (PA ref: 39731840)
Botswana’s Isaac Makwala wins Commonwealth gold in the men’s 400m. Makwala was previously best known to British audiences for his norovirus illness at the 2017 World Championships in London which saw him placed into quarantine. He added a second gold when Botswana won the 4x400m relay (Martin Rickett/PA).
Ribbon rhythm (PA ref: 39842833)
Malaysia’s Izzah Amzan competes in the ribbon discipline in the rhythmic gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games. She claimed a silver medal in the team event (Martin Rickett/PA).
Ireland left in the shade (PA ref: 36501126)
Ireland’s Troy Parrott in action against Holland’s Daishawn Redan during the UEFA European Under-17 Championship quarter-final in Burton. Holland went on to win the tournament, with hosts England losing semi-finalists (Mike Egerton/PA).
Searching for silverware (PA ref: 36592595)
Chelsea supporters shield their faces from the sun during the FA Cup final with Manchester United at Wembley. Chelsea won the game 1-0 to give Antonio Conte a trophy in his final match as Blues head coach, although he was not sacked for another two months (David Davies/PA).
Gareth Bale celebrates his acrobatic bicycle kick goal which gave Real Madrid a 2-1 lead over Liverpool in the Champions League final in Kiev. The Wales forward came off the substitutes’ bench to score twice and earn Real a third successive European Cup (Nick Potts/PA).
Southgate steers England to success (PA ref: 37181033)
England manager Gareth Southgate, in his waistcoat, celebrates victory over Panama in World Cup Group G. Southgate steered England to the World Cup semi-finals and helped his team to reconnect with the English public with their performances at Russia 2018 (Adam Davy/PA).
Clean bowled (PA ref: 37252680)
Chris Jordan clean bowls Glenn Maxwell in June’s Twenty20 international between England and Australia at Edgbaston. England won the game by 28 runs. England responded from losing the 2017-18 Ashes to Australia and defeat to New Zealand with series wins over India and Sri Lanka in 2018 (Mike Egerton/PA)
Delight for Djokovic (PA ref: 37606128)
Novak Djokovic celebrates winning a fourth Wimbledon title with the trophy. The Serbian claimed a first grand slam title in more than two years by beating Kevin Anderson. He added the US Open title to show he is far from finished (John Walton/PA).
Fantastic Francesco (PA ref: 37699709)
Italy’s Francesco Molinari lifts The Open’s Claret Jug after winning at Carnoustie. Molinari played a key role in Europe’s Ryder Cup win, becoming the first player to win five matches. He partnered Tommy Fleetwood in the fourballs and foursomes. He also won the European Tour’s Race to Dubai title (David Davies/PA).
Cycle of success continues (PA ref: 38347573)
The Tour of Britain peloton rides through Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. Although France’s Julian Alaphilippe won, the race was something of a lap of honour for Geraint Thomas, who won July’s Tour de France. Team Sky colleague Chris Froome, the six-time Grand Tour winner, also raced in the national tour, for the first time since 2009 (David Davies/PA).
‘Thank you, Chef’ (PA ref: 38455635)
Former England captain Alastair Cook celebrates reaching his 33rd and final Test century. Cook, who announced his retirement prior to the match, became the fifth player to score a ton in his first and last Tests. He made 147 in the second innings as England beat India at The Oval (Adam Davy/PA).
Europe united in Ryder romp (PA ref: 38903200)
Rory McIlroy on the practice ground before day two of the Ryder Cup near Paris. McIlroy was making his fifth appearance in the biennial tournament, earning a fourth win as part of the European team (David Davies/PA)
Tommy on top at Ryder Cup (PA ref: 38860400)
Ryder Cup rookie Tommy Fleetwood celebrates Europe’s 17 1/2-10 ½ win over the United States. Fleetwood won four points, combining well with Italian Francesco Molinari, in a memorable triumph for Europe’s golfers (David Davies/PA)
On the charge (PA ref: 39246232)
Los Angeles Chargers players run out for the start of the NFL match with Tennessee Titans at Wembley. The national stadium was the subject of a bid by Shahid Khan in 2018, which the billionaire owner of Fulham and Jacksonville Jaguars later withdrew (Simon Cooper/PA)
Five-star Hamilton (PA ref: 39389255)
Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the Formula One drivers’ championship for a fifth time at the Circuit of the Americas in Mexico. Hamilton won 11 of the 21 grands prix in 2018, although his championship win was sealed by a fourth-placed finish in Mexico behind Max Verstappen (PA).
From triumph to tragedy at Leicester (PA ref: 39431510)
Tributes are left at the King Power Stadium following the death of club owner and chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others in a helicopter crash. The incident happened within two hours of the drawn Premier League match with West Ham. Vichai had helped Leicester to a surprise Premier League title win in 2015-16 (Mike Egerton/PA).
Tyson in tie with Wilder (PA ref: 39996282)
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury exchange punches during their WBC Heavyweight Championship bout in Los Angeles. Fury twice was knocked down to the canvas, but twice rose again in a drawn contest (Lionel Hahn/PA).
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