Looking back at 2004 in sport

CRICKET

Muttiah Muralitharan shrugged off ongoing controversies to become the first bowler to take 500 test wickets.

Shane Warne, left cooling his heels for a year after copping a drugs ban, came back to take that record to 533.

Steve Waugh bowed out of test cricket, leading Australia to a 1-1 series draw with India in Australia.

Brian Lara scored a world-record 400 not out for the West Indies in the final test against England at Antigua in April.

GOLF

Tiger Woods was knocked off the No 1 spot in the world rankings by Fijian Vijay Singh, who also became the first to pocket US$10 million ($14 million) in one season.

Only four Americans ended the season in the world's top 10. Singh was followed by Woods (US), Ernie Els (South Africa), Retief Goosen (South Africa), Phil Mickelson (US), Mike Weir (Canada), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Davis Love III (US), Sergio Garcia (Spain) and Stewart Cink (US).

Europeans continued their struggle in the majors.

They have not won on the big stage since Paul Lawrie's triumph in the British Open at Carnoustie in 1999. Despite this, the Europeans thrashed the Americans 18 1/2-9 1/2 in the Ryder Cup.

MOTORSPORT

Valentino Rossi won a fourth successive MotoGP title, celebrating his switch from Honda to Yamaha in style. Yamaha had not won the title since 1992.

Michael Schumacher won an unprecedented seventh F1 drivers' title, winning 13 races. Team-mate Rubens Barrichello won another two as Ferrari continued their domination of the championship.

Sebastian Loeb broke through for a first World Rally Championship title but the victory in a Citroen came with an ominous warning as the car-maker and sister company Peugeot announced their intention to quit the rally scene after the 2005 season.

OLYMPICS

Hicham El Guerrouj finally found his place in the Olympic sun, winning the 1500m/5000m double, a feat not achieved since the great Paavo Nurmi in 1924.

Michael Phelps won six gold and two bronze in a stunning effort in the pool but the 19-year-old failed to overhaul the seven golds won by Mark Spitz at Munich in 1972.

The Dream Team turned into a nightmare. Beaten first-up by Puerto Rico, the US basketballers bowed out in the semis, toppled by eventual winners Argentina.

Cuba won five boxing golds to maintain their place as the world's best amateur pugilists.

Paula Radcliffe failed in both the marathon and 10,000m - but bounced back to win the New York Marathon - while British team-mate Kelly Holmes completed a stunning 800m/1500m double.

The British men's 4x100m relay team scored one of the biggest upsets in winning gold at Athens.

RUGBY

Jonny Wilkinson went from hero to almost zero. The star of the 2003 World Cup played just seven competitive matches last year, none for England.

Ireland landed the Triple Crown for the first time in 19 years, beating England 19-13 at Twickenham to clinch it.

The Irish also beat South Africa for just the second time.

South Africa won the Tri-Nations and the ACT Brumbies the Super 12.

Bay of Plenty beat Auckland to take The Log for the first time, but soon handed it on to Canterbury.

SOCCER

Highs and lows for the round ball, with New Zealand definitely figuring among the latter.

Euro 2004 was, from the first kick to the last, a huge success, attracting worldwide attention.

With the Greeks getting up to beat hosts Portugal in the final, it could not have been scripted better ahead of the Athens Olympics.

Arsenal's amazing unbeaten run in the English Premier League was head-shaking stuff. Not too many weeks on, a new season and a dose of reality as Chelsea take over.

The All Whites paid the price for being under-prepared and cocksure when upended by Vanuatu and eventually tipped out of the Oceania Nations Cup. Confederations and World Cup dreams became a nightmare.

The Football Kingz ... enough said. Out with the old and in with the new. A fresh start but under what name will coach John Adshead put this team out?

TENNIS

The Roger Federer show. Won three of the four Grand Slams - the first to do so since Mats Wilander in 1988. In beating Lleyton Hewitt in the season-ending Masters Cup, Federer picked up his 13th title for the year, a record for the Open era.

His only loss in a Grand Slam came in the third round of the French Open, losing to Gustavo Kuerten. Federer also lost to Tomas Berdych in his Olympic bid.

Spain underlined their talent and ability on clay by beating the US 3-2 in the Davis Cup final, with big hope Andy Roddick losing his singles to Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya.

Lindsay Davenport halted a Russian invasion in the women's game as Myskina, Sharapova and Kuznetsova won three of the four Grand Slams. They capped their year by winning the Fed Cup.

Newly-married Davenport burst back to her best form to end the season as No 1.