50 best sport photos of 2012

Maria Sharapova celebrating her victory over Sara Errani at the French Open. Photo courtesy of SI.com

German weightlifter Matthias Steiner was hit by a barbell at the London Olympics-2012. Photo courtesy of SI.com

After having scored his third touchdown in the game against the Saints, running back David Wilson celebrated with a backflip. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Austrian Felix Baumgartner jumps out of the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos on Oct. 14, 2012 in space. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Giants were in a celebratory mood after they defeated the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Derek Jeter from New York Yankees. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Serena Williams won Wimbledon for the fifth time. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda traversed Niagara Falls on a wire. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Ford Riley at Daytona International Speedway. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Motorcross biker performs a show jump in front of the world's tallest building, Burj al-Khalifa in Dubai. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Swiss skier Wendy Holdener at the World Cup Slalom event in Germany. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Fans cheer after Tiger Woods scores his 73rd victory. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Umpire Greg Gibson gets a spike to the face from the Angels' Torii Hunter. Photo courtesy of SI.com

49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith loses his helmet trying to tackle running back Joique Bell of the Lions. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III stepped out of bounds shy of the goal line during the Redskins' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Carmelita Jeter after completing the anchor leg as the U.S. won the 4x100 relay in world record time (40.82) at the London Games. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Gabby Douglas became the third straight U.S. woman to win the all-around and the first to win that title and a team gold at the same Olympics. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Much to the joy of the British crowd, Britain's Mo Farah took the 5,000 meters a week after winning the 10,000 at the Summer Olympics. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Usain Bolt and fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake finished 1-2 in the 100-meter dash while Justin Gatlin of the U.S. earned the bronze medal at the London Olympics. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Chinese Olympian Liu Xiang reacts after crashing during the 110m hurdles heats in London. Photo courtesy of SI.com

50th victory of Kelly Slater in ASP tour. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won their third consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Russell Westbrook scores a slam dunk during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Silver winner Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Lenzelle Smith, Jr. (32) battles for a rebound with Wisconsin's Jared Berggren (40) and Josh Gasser (21) in the Badgers' comeback win at the Buckeyes. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Paul Pierce during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Ryan Raburn, a Detroit Tigers right fielder, made this leaping catch against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Tour de France cyclists ride past a woman on a horse. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Detroit Lions' Jonte Green loses his helmet while trying to stop Baltimore's Bobby Rainey during a preseason game. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Michi Mueller of Germany adjusts the sail onboard PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG as the boat flies from Itajai, Brazil, to Miami during the sixth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Camping World Truck. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Roger Federer during a game at Austalian Open. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Snowcross World Championship event in Russia. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Grand Prix Prestige race. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Commissioner Gary Bettman walks away from the podium after having announced that the league would lock out its players if a new labor deal was not reached. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Referees making decision. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Gabby Douglas. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. Photo courtesy of SI.com

LeBron James goes up for a slam against the Thunder during the NBA Finals. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Golf player Bubba Watson. Photo courtesy of SI.com

The Kings and the Los Angeles crowd celebrate the first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Mario Manningham hauls in a crucial fourth-quarter pass to set the Giants up for the winning score in the Super Bowl. Photo courtesy of SI.com

New York running back Ahmad Bradshaw (44) reluctantly crosses the goal line to put the Giants up 21-17 late in the fourth quarter. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Kobe Bryant gets denied by Nuggets center JaVale McGee during a Denver-Los Angeles Staples Center showdown. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Pimlico racecourse in Baltimore. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz puts the tag on Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinoza. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Bernard Pierce goes airborne. Photo courtesy of SI.com

Kansas celebrates while Missouri guard Michael Dixon holds his head in despair after the Jayhawks won. Photo courtesy of SI.com

An incident during the IRWIN Tools Night Race in August caused Danica Patrick to angrily gesture at NASCAR competitor Regan Smith. Photo courtesy of SI.com