The 54 best sports photos of 2018

Tyler Lauletta,Meredith Cash

Dec 22, 2018, 01:01 IST

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Between the Winter Olympics, the World Cup, and thrilling NBA and NFL seasons, 2018 was quite a year for sports and sports photography.

The past year had a lot of breathtaking sports to offer.
Between the Winter Olympics, the World Cup, and thrilling NBA and NFL seasons, it was quite a year for sports and sports photography.
Whether capturing an important moment or simply a moment of beauty, great sports photography gives us a new perspective on athletes we love to watch.

The past year was a great one for sports.

Things started with a bang, with an epic Super Bowl and an enthralling Winter Olympics. From there, we journeyed through the NBA playoffs, and the summer brought us World Cup we'll never forget.

After spending the dog days of summer watching baseball, football season was back before we could blink. With it came historically high-powered offenses and a brand new slate of rookies ready to change the league.

Through it all, some of the best photographers alive were there to cover it and produce some astounding images.

Take a look below at some of the best sports photographs of 2018.

Rory McIlroy finds himself in a predicament amongst Augusta National's iconic foliage during the third round of the Masters.

Boxer Paddy Barnes makes his way to the ring.

The Philadelphia Eagles walk out on to the field prior to their NFC Championship game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Tiger Woods makes his return to the Masters, bringing with him huge crowds of fans.

Woods celebrates his first win since 2013, golf fans around the world rejoice.

Dramatic angles show how daunting the snowboard slopestyle is.

But winning the slopestyle can be rewarding, as it was for Red Gerard.

A sea of Iceland fans take part in the "SKOL" chant as their team takes on Nigeria in the group stage.

Luis Advincula of Peru belts his country's national anthem ahead of a match against Denmark.

Gennady Golovkin connects while fighting Canelo Alvarez for another epic 12 rounds.

Enrique Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers fields the ball in Game Two of the NLCS.

Barrett Martineau of Canada rides ferociously down the track on his sled.

Chicharito rejoices after Mexico's win at the World Cup over South Korea put them atop their group.

Serena Williams slams the ball over the net during the Women's Singles Semi-Finals match at the 2018 US Open.

Days later, Serena Williams yields the stage to Naomi Osaka after the Japanese wunderkind's controversial Women's Singles finals win at the 2018 US Open.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes takes the field with a little help from his teammates.

Jack Nicklaus celebrates his grandson Gary, who hit the first hole-in-one of his life while caddying for his grandfather at the Masters Par 3 contest.

Cristiano Ronaldo slides towards the crowd after completing his hat trick to steal a draw against Spain.

Lydia Lassila of Australia floats upside down, as freestyle skiers do.

Jordan Spieth and caddie Michael Greller walk in step to the 15th green at the Masters.

Harry Kane celebrates after bringing England back from the brink.

The North Korean cheer squad was one of the great spectacles of the Olympics.

The 15km biathlon came down to an incredible photo finish.

While some other finishes were a bit less focused on speed.

Teammates douse Brock Holt with Gatorade after hitting for the cycle in Game 3 of the ALDS against their arch rival New York Yankees.

And when Boston went on to win the World Series, catcher Christian Vazquez jumped into the arms of Red Sox ace Chris Sale in celebration.

Novak Djokovic kisses his trophy after defeating Juan Martin del Potro to win the tournament.

Paul Pogba basks in the glory of winning the World Cup.

Hockey players from the Czech Republic and the United States watch as the puck sails over the net and into the glass at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

Uruguay's Edinson Cavani celebrates scoring the goal that knocked Portugal out of the World Cup.

Legendary U.S. snowboarder Shaun White takes a bow after a near-perfect performance in the Men's Halfpipe Final brought him his third gold medal.

The Netherlands' Max Verstappen leaves a trail of sparks in his wake during qualifying for the Formula One Grand Prix of China.

Norwegian ski jumper Johann Andre Forfang soars over the iconic Olympic rings in PyeongChang.

Eagles backup quarterback Nick Foles hoists the Lombardi Trophy in the air after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Tom Brady could only look on as the game slipped away.

LeBron James and Dwayne Wade shake hands after their final NBA matchup ever.

New York Giants rookie Saquon Barkley hurdles his defender.

Simone Biles defies gravity, as per usual.

LeBron James looks to contain Kevin Durant during their 2018 NBA Finals matchup.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff celebrates a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs by shooting a layup through the uprights.

The New York Giants emerge from a cloud of smoke to take the field.

Duke freshman phenom Zion Williamson soars through the air for the massive dunk.

Brooklyn Nets center Jarrett Allen accomplishes an extremely rare feat: blocking a LeBron James dunk.

Alex Ovechkin kisses the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final.

Stefon Diggs completes the Minnesota Miracle.

LeBron James expresses his anguish after a 51 point performance was not enough to win Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey sidesteps Seattle Seahawks' Tedric Thompson.

Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving glides past rookie DeAndre Ayton.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay hauls in a pass against the Buffalo Bills.

German big wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner drops a wave during a surf session at Praia do Norte in Portugal.

Fans in Washington packed the stands to support the Cpaitals during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The highs and lows of college basketball were on full display at March Madness.

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Collin Johnson goes horizontal for the score.

Atlanta United celebrates after winning the MLS Cup in their second year as a franchise.

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