For them who made '13 toll

As we bid adieu to 2013, its time to take sporting stock. Athletes who set their arenas on fire with their performances and left in their wake a legacy that would be remembered as special. The year didn't boast of a major tournament but wasn't bereft of drama by any means. With the world athletic championships to two versions of the Ashes, there was enough on the plate to keep the enthusiast engrossed. So, while we anticipate the biggest show on the planet in the soccer world cup in its adopted home of Brazil next year, here is a flashback from the year bygone.

Andy Murray's knighthood would have been secured after landing the coveted Wimbledon trophy in what was a spectacular year for Great Britain. Mo Farah followed up his Olympic show with a stellar world championships with a 5000 and 10000 m double to secure legendary status on the field. That Usain Bolt won the 100, 200 and 4X100 m titles again was expected but it seems he did it on a platter. There aren't many chasing him down and a repeat in Rio is not unfathomable.

Rafael Nadal returned to his beloved tennis courts after a long hiatus forced by his aching knees but what a comeback it was. He blazed through the field winning two grand slams in his favorite French and not so favorite US Open. That nobody else except the indefatigable Novak was able to stem the Spaniard's game was proof enough that the matador is back to his deadly best and Roger's record of most grand slams is within sights. Twas a poor year for the erstwhile magician Federer with no grand slam final appearances and his record of consecutive slam appearance brought to a grinding halt, Whether he has it in him to make one final stand will be clear in a month's time at the hard courts of Melbourne park. Serena Williams dominated the women's tour and looks good to extend her hegemony.

The Ashes were fought over twice in a year and the home teams scored. The Aussies completed a fourth victory at the MCG today with a lackluster performance from the Poms that bordered on the pathetic. While the Aussies did give a fight to the English earlier this year, the return series has been all one way traffic. Would the Barmy army be spared the humiliation of a 5-0 white wash at Sydney? We will know in a week's time. Its time for a change in the English cricket setup and my guess would be that Andy Flower would be the first sacrifice at the altar. The best all rounder to have played the game in Jacques Kallis said goodbye to the test arena with a stoic yet characteristic century.

Sir Alex Ferguson went out on a high with the red devils winning the English premier league again. His successor Moyes has found it difficult to maintain a similar drive and focus with the team languishing in the pecking order till the year end. Real Madrid bagged another Galactico in the form of Bale but Barca kept snapping at their heels. Among such big hoopla for the English and Spanish giants, it was Bayern Munich that landed the Champions League to show case the often disregarded efficiency of German soccer.

While Tiger Woods took the perch again in the golfing world, it was time for some deserving first time major champions. Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Jason Dufner all bagged their first majors in what was an open golfing season. With Phil Mickelson wining the Open Championship for his fifth major, Tiger's wait for extending his major wins will have to wait another year.

Sebastian Vettel left everyone gobsmacked with a season of incredible driving winning his fourth driver's title in a row. He won the title with so much to spare that he wouldn't have had to race the final four races. That he broke Schumacher's record for the most wins in a season was just icing on the cake. He also helped the Red Bulls win a third constructor's title and going by his performance, there is still so much more to come.

While the above were news makers for the right reasons, there were others who made the headlines for all the wrong ones. Lance Armstrong admitted to his doping regime and that certainly took all the sheen off his great wins. Boston suffered bombings at its marathon and the ugly face of today's world showed itself on the sporting field as well. While the blips were few, the champions shone bright. Here's gearing up for a stupendous 2014.