Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of my readers. I want to first thank all of you for the support that you have shown me through out the year. Many of you have shown a great interest in my columns and have been very encouraging, and for that I am grateful.

Today I wish to take a look over the past year and what athletes have stood out both locally and internationally.

Firstly, on the local scene we have had some outstanding performances in a variety of sports.

Janeiro Tucker for his outstanding cricket performanes (Cup Match MVP), Freddy Hall jr for his sterling performance in goal for his college, Stevie Dickinson's continued dominance in sailing and Gavin Manders' rise to the top of the tennis rankings with some excellent performances.

All of these gentlemen have done extremely well in their respective sports, but who will reign as my Athlete of the Year?

On the local scene, Janeiro has shown once again why he is still the best cricketer on the Island with a steady season. Janeiro had a far from spectacular season by his standards, but was still good enough to dominate the season stats. He had the most runs and best batting average in the league. On top of that, he also won the MVP for Cup Match.

Freddy Hall jr has been on fire between the goal for his college, Quinnipiac. Freddy had nine shut-outs and 121 saves this season and was named to the Northeast Conference first team. Such were his fine displays that Hall has been invited to the 2010 Adidas Major League Soccer Combine and stands an excellent chance of being drafted in the MLS draft.

Stevie Dickinson is a St. George's hero in sailing. He has continued to dominate the End-to-End race and has clearly established himself as the top dog in comet sailing. Stevie is one who often goes unnoticed in the sporting world, but this year he has been sensational Having dominated locally, he tried his luck overseas in New Jersey only to continue his dominance by winning the overall championship.

Gavin Manders, son of former cricketer Arnold Manders, has steadily climbed to the top of the tennis rankings. This year Gavin has totally dominated tennis on the Island, thus showing his exceptional talent.

Gavin has won all the major trophies, going undefeated for the year. He also went on to become the first Bermudian to win all three of his Davis Cup matches.

Overseas sports have been just as interesting with a few outstanding performances that have caught my eye.

Lionel Messi at Barcelona has been exceptional, Manny Pacquiao has established himself as the best pound for pound boxer in the world, Usain Bolt's dominance in the 100 and 200 metres, Sachin Tendulkar staked his claim as the best batsman ever. At the end of the day there can only be one winner.

Lionel Messi has led Barcelona in scoring and has been consistent like no other footballer in the world. So steady and scintillating were his performances he has just recently been named FIFA World Footballer of the Year.

The Argentinean reminds me of his fellow countryman Diego Maradona, but in order to be truly great like Maradona he will have to win the World Cup next summer.

Manny Pacquiao has even surprised me with his talents and ability to overcome some of the best boxers around. He dismantled Ricky Hatton, then tore Miguel Cotto apart, thus emphasisng why many rate him as the best pound for pound boxer around. However, to stake his claim as the ultimate best he will have to beat Floyd Mayweather jr.

Usain Bolt, the Jamaican running machine, has stamped his authority in track and field. He has been so dominant that he recently lowered the 100 and 200-metre world records to establish himself as the fast man ever. These feats earned him the media nickname "Lightning Bolt".

Sachin Tendulkar for years has been a dominant figure in world cricket. Having been on the scene for over 20 years, this year will always be memorable for him. Sachin became the first cricketer ever to score 30,000 runs in international cricket. He became the first batsman to score 17,000 runs in One-Day cricket. Till this day Sachin has scored 88 centuries – 43 in Tests and 45 inODIs.

This leaves me with the daunting task of picking my two Athletes of the Year both locally and overseas.

With very little hesitation – Stevie Dickenson and Usain Bolt are my Athletes of the Year.

Locally, it was a toss-up between Gavin and Stevie – almost impossible to separate. But the fact that Stevie's competition was much tougher and the fact that he won the End to End for a record 15 times is what swayed my decision.

Stevie also won all major races and trophies for the comet season locally. If that was not enough, he took his talents overseas for the International Comet Class Yacht Racing Championships in New Jersey and won all five races to walk away as champion. Need I say anymore!

Internationally, this was a close toss-up between Usain Bolt and Manny Pacquiao. However, only one can be the winner.

Better known for the 200 metres, Usain broke both world records, posting an unbelievable 9.58 in the 100 and 19.19 in the 200. He was recently named Laureus Sportsman of the Year for 2009, thus making my decision an easy one.

Having been impressed this year by some stellar performances, I cannot wait to see what 2010 brings in.