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World Sport's decade dominators

By Ben Wyatt, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The CNN World Sport team have had their vote -- now it is time to have yours!
  • As the decade draws to a close, who would you choose as the best sports people from the last 10 years?
  • Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Michael Phelps make the top three respectively as chosen by the World Sport team

London, England -- The CNN World Sport team have had their vote -- now it is time to have yours; as the decade draws to a close, which sport people would you place in a top 10 of achievers from the last 10 years?

It is a tough call to select the cream of the Noughties' crop, especially in a decade of enthralling sporting achievement, but after much thought, discussion and deliberation the World Sport team have had their say.

The top 10 of Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps, Michael Schumacher, Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Lance Armstrong, Annika Sorenstam, Kobe Bryant and David Beckham / Zinedine Zidane hold few surprises for sport aficionados, but what of those who did not make the final cut?

Valentino Rossi and Sebastien Loeb dominated MotoGP and the World Rally Championship in the same vein as Schumacher ruled over Formula One since the turn of the century, yet they are left from the top 10.

Video: Laureus panel on 2009 highlights
Video: Laureus sport panel on Roger Federer
Video: Laureus sport panel on Usain Bolt

Similarly, though Bolt's smashing of the 100 and 200 meter men's world records was spectacular, who could say the athletic success of Ethiopian distance runner Kenenisa Bekele and Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva were less deserving of admiration.

And though some sports are more international than others, is it right that careers such as those of cricketers Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, American football's Tom Brady or baseball slugger Barry Bonds have been overlooked in the final analysis?

A surprise too maybe that soccer, despite its global popularity and its wealth of star names (Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o, Paolo Maldini, Ronaldinho and Ryan Giggs), secured only the last place in the official list.

Criticism aside, however, some of the selections have been met with the approval of authoritative names from the world of sport. In a recent panel discussion with Laureus World Sport Academy members Sean Fitzpatrick, Sebastian Coe, Boris Becker and Michael Johnson, Johnson told CNN anchor Pedro Pinto that Bolt was worthy of his place:

Every so often you have an athlete that comes along who is more naturally gifted than the rest of the field
--Michael Johnson
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"When you look at Usain Bolt, when he first broke the 100 meter record, it was only the fourth time he raced at that distance. He still has a lot to improve on, but he is extraordinary. Every so often you have an athlete that comes along who is more naturally gifted than the rest of the field."

Becker also added that it was right for Federer to appear prominently in the list: "After already winning 13 grand slams most tennis players would have been happy, but he went onto to win his first French Open title in 2009 before winning at Wimbledon again.

"I've played against (Jimmy) Connors, (John) McEnroe, (Bjorn) Borg, (Ivan) Lendl, (Andre) Agassi and (Pete) Sampras -- and it is amazing to be around someone like Federer who is rewriting all of the records set by these men," Becker added.

Let us know your selection of the top 10 sport people of the decade by adding a comment at the bottom of the page.