Liu Xiang gave himself the perfect birthday present two days before turning 23, when he smashed the world 110-meter hurdles record in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 11, 2006. The zippy Chinese hurdler clocked 12.88 seconds, shaving 0.03 seconds off the former record to secure his second major athletic success after winning the gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
This year, China's Yan Zi and Zheng Jie won the country's first-ever Grand Slam title in the Australian Open. To top this off, the duo then added a second grand slam title to their collection by taking the Wimbledon championship in July. Their wins have proclaimed to the world that Chinese can play more than just table tennis.
Italy beat France 5-3 during penalty kicks to win the final match of the World Cup. It was the fourth world crown for the Azzurri. Fans will remember the winner like any World Cup, but even more, they will recall the runner-up this year, France, for Zinedine Zidane's headbutting of Marco Materazzi in the final.
As Beijing goes all out to prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Paralympics, set to be held right after the Olympic Games, is also coming into the spotlight. On September 6 the bovine mascot for the Paralympics made its debut, marking the 2-year countdown to the games.
Italian soccer clubs Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina have been charged and punished for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal, the nation's biggest sports scandal in a quarter of a century. The most severe punishment was given to Juventus, who was relegated to the Italian second division Serie B. However, their hope of returning to Serie A next season was boosted after a successful appeal for a reduction in their penalty.
The biggest surprise at the Turin Winter Olympic Games at the beginning of this year was Han Xiaopeng winning the gold medal in the men's freestyle skiing aerials. The win was a touch of brilliance to the otherwise mediocre performance from the Chinese squad.
China upstaged favorites the United States to win their first women's team title at the world gymnastics championships in Aarhus, Denmark in October. It was the first time the Chinese girls claimed the title, displaying balance and strength to overcome their competition.
This year was also a year of retirement in sports. Several big sports names, including American tennis giant Andre Agassi, Germany's seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher as well as Aussie "torpedo" Ian Thorpe, retired from the international sports arena. I guess there is more to life than sports.
The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks 95-92 in Game 6 of the NBA finals in June, capturing their first-ever league championship.
Swiss tennis superstar Roger Federer finished the year as the ATP world number one, his third season in a row. And, if not sure before, his easy win in the final for the Masters Cup has made it clear to the world, he is the best male tennis player around and aims to stay so.
