The 100 Best Sports Photos of 2009 - (Part 4 of 4) - Big Shots

The 100 Best Sports Photos of 2009 - (Part 4 of 4)

Every week I look at roughly 15,000 sports pictures to produce this blog. They come in from all over the world, from events large and small, from countries with famous sporting reputations, and from countries that I might struggle to find on a map. My calculator tells me that's over three quarters of a million sports pictures annually. Have I really looked at that many pictures this year? My constant fear is that I've missed a gem, and with that many images to scan over, I'm sure I have. And paring what I collected this year down to just 100 pictures leaves out way too many amazing images as it is. But what's left is spectacular. I hope you enjoy this last installment of the top pictures, which represents the months of October, November, and December, and the links below will hook you up with the first three installments. ( 25 photos total)

Ukraine's Oleksandr Yakubovs'kyi performs in the floor event during the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2009 at the 02 Arena in London October 13. (CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)

An unidentified snowboarder competes during a preliminary match at the LG Snowboard Big Air FIS World Cup competition at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul December 13. (REUTERS/Kang Bong-Gyu/Korea Pool) #

Yves Rossy exits his launch aircraft to begin his attempt to fly by jetpack over the Strait of Gibralter. He failed, and was plucked unharmed from the ocean. (Blaise Chappuis/Webtel.mobi via AP Images) #

A winter swimmer jumps into icy water at a park in Shenyang, China November 13. (REUTERS/Stringer) #

Hoang Le Thuy and Hoang Thanh Tra of Vietnam compete in the 3m springboard synchronized diving final at the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane December 14. (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images) #

A competitor trains ahead of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at the 02 Arena in London October 12. (CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Finland's Janne Ahonen soars through the air during the qualification for the first event of the four-hills ski jumping tournament in Oberstdorf, Germany December 28. (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach) #

Sara Tait competes in the 1500m event during the Australian Paralympic Youth Games at Olympic Park October 8 in Melbourne. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) #

Canada's team crashes at the finish of the four-man bobsleigh World Cup competition in Altenberg, Germany December 20. (REUTERS/David W Cerny #

A competitor grimaces during the shot putt event during the 2009 Sydney World Masters Games at Sydney Olympic Park October 11 in Sydney. (Mark Nolan/Getty Images) #

A crocodile lies in wait by the 13th green during practice before the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club December 9 in Malelane, South Africa. (Warren Little/Getty Images) #

Liu Zige of China competes in the women's 200m butterfly final swimming event during the East Asian Games in Hong Kong December 6. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images) #

Everton's Jo fights for the ball during his Europa League football match against AEK Athens at the Athens Olympic Stadium December 2. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images) #

Florida's Alex Tyus tries to hang on to the ball against Florida State during an NCAA college basketball game in Gainesville, Fla. November 24. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin) #

Pakistani Kushti wrestler Bashir Bohla Balha (right) trains at the Champion Khalu Behalwan wrestling club in the Old City of Lahore. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) #

Quillocs Nancy of Philippines (below) and Muenjii Wanwisa of Thailand compete in the women's judo 45kg category final at the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane December 15. (HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images) #

Akron's Anthony Ampaipitakwong is stepped on by Virginia players during an NCAA College Cup championship soccer game in Cary, N.C. December 13. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) #

A gymnast balances on the beam during a practice session for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at the O2 arena in London October 12. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) #

South African children play football in the mountains of Eastern Cape November 19. (ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images) #

During the Harvard vs. Dartmouth football game at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Mass. October 31, a Harvard student danced in the end zone stands. (John Tlumacki/Globe staff) #

WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev arrives in the ring before a fight against David Haye in Nuremberg November 7. (TIMM SCHAMBERGER/AFP/Getty Images) #

Surfer Ruth Sadler, 72, carries the Olympic Flame into the Pacific Ocean for a torch exchange with another surfer during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games torch relay in Pacific Rim National Park near Tofino, Canada November 1. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck) #

Competitors set sail during the start of the 65th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race December 26 in Sydney. A fleet of 100 boats are competing in the 628 nautical mile race to Hobart in Tasmania. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) #

1800 sail boats start the 41st edition of the traditional Barcolana Regatta in the gulf of Trieste in Italy October 11. (AP Photo/Franco Debernardi) #

Jockeys turn tail during the Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile thoroughbred horse race at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. November 7. (REUTERS/Mike Blake) #