On Top Of The World

Germany's Markus Eisenbichler takes flight in the Men's Four Hills Tournament in Innsbruck, Austria, last January.

Picture: Bjorn Reichert, NordicFocus.

Hitting The Heights

Injury curtailed his progress but Kerry's Stefan Okunbor is a name to watch out for in 2023. Last January, he showed his athleticism over Limerick's Darragh Tracey in a McGrath Cup game in Tralee.

Picture: Brendan Moran, Sportsfile

Washed Out

An unidentified competitor washes off some Dublin after completing September's Liffey Swim.

Picture: James Crombie, INPHO

Thunder Road

The rain came tumbling down on Cork's little All-Ireland but it didn't deter Togher's new blue wave as Ger Cunningham's St Finbarr's annexed their first county hurling title in almost thirty years.

Picture: George Hatchell

Black Ice

Germany's Alisa Efimova and Ruben Blommaert perform in the Grand Prix of Figure Skating at Espoo Metro Areena in Finland in November.

Picture: Jurij Kodrun, ISU via Getty Images

Nifty At 50

It was a stellar first season on the Champions Tour for Pádraig Harrington with three victories and a second placed Order of Merit finish. Here he escapes from the trap at the final hole on Day 2 of the Ras al Khaimah Championship in the UAE.

Picture: Andrew Redington, Getty Images

Pitch Perfect

Sweden's Jesper Tjader brings the house down in the Men's Freestyle Skiing final at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 16.

Picture: Lars Baron, Getty Images

No Traffic

Dublin captain Ciarán Kilkenny with the O'Byrne Cup after their final win over Laois last January at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow.

Picture: Daire Brennan, Sportsfile

Unstoppable

Matthis Lebel of Toulouse on his way to scoring his side's first try despite the tackle of Shane Daly of Munster during the Heineken Champions Cup Pool B Round 1 match between Munster and Toulouse at Thomond Park in Limerick.

Picture: Harry Murphy, Sportsfile

Second Serve

Rafa Nadal defeated Russia's Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set Australian Open finall at Melbourne Park in January. It was his second Oz Open title and a 21st major single crown in a glittering career.

Picture: Clive Brunskill, Getty Images

Head For Heights

Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier perform a daring lift during the Free Dance at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games last February.

Picture: Matthew Stockman, Getty Images

Hoops Hush

Eanna's Neil Lynch, Marko Tomic, Mark Reynolds, Romonn Nelson and Sean Jenkins keep it DL as Mark Reynolds’ son Luca (4 months) tries to get some sleep after their National Cup first-round meeting against Tralee Warriors in November.

Picture: Tom Maher, Inpho

Rapping The Flag

As her ecstatic colleagues cheered, Ireland's Denise O'Sullivan savoured the Republic's Women's World Cup play-off win at Hampden Park over Scotland. The WNT will compete in its first global spectacular in Australia next summer.

Picture: Ryan Byrne, Inpho.

Ripped

USA's Noah Lyles wins the 200m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon - and offers the material evidence of his preparatory work for same.

Picture: Steph Chambers, Getty Images

Gripper

An Armagh offender gets too close and personal with Galway's Damien Comer after their marathon All-Ireland SFC quarter-final meeting at Croke Park.

Picture: James Crombie, INPHO

Giant Leap

Abigail Irozuru of Team England takes part in a practice jump for the Women's Long Jump Final during Athletics Track & Field on day ten of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium on August 07, 2022 in Birmingham, England.

Picture: David Ramos, Getty Images

Colosseum?

Not quite. It's actually Munich and the European Beach Volleyball Championships (well if they can play the World Cup in Qatar...). Germany's Chantal Laboureur and Sarah Schulz get ready to face Dorina Klinger and Ronja Klinger of Austria.

Picture: Adam Pretty, Getty Images

Riding The Tube

Brazil's Yago Dora competes in the Outerknown Tahiti Pro 2022 on the Men's WSL Championship Tour, in Teahupo'o, French Polynesia in August. Picture: Jerome Brouillet, AFP

Picture: Ramsey Cardy, Sportsfile

Winner Alright

An unusual and striking angle from Morgan Treacy as Paddy O’Hanlon, on Lord Lariat, celebrates victory in the Irish Grand National at April's Fairyhouse Easter Festival.

Picture: Morgan Treacy, Inpho

Gina Tonic

Germany's Gina Luckenkemper celebrates her victory in the Women's 100m final at the European Championships in Munich.

Picture: Simon Hofmann, Getty Images 

Star Jump

Tralee veteran Kieran Donaghy grabs the rebound from Nil Sabata of Neptune in the National Cup final at the Arena in Tallaght. It was not the first time the dual legend has risen to the occasion for the Warriors and for the sport in general.

Picture: Brendan Moran, Sportsfile

Luka Me

Real Madrid's veteran Croatian string-puller Luka Modric celebrates after Los Meringues edged Liverpool in the Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris.

Picture: David Ramos, Getty Images.

Over A Barrel

Irish surfer Conor Maguire taming an impressive barrel wave at sunrise in Mullaghmore, Co Sligo as he takes on the Big Wave Surf season. Maguire has earned a reputation globally as a leading big wave surfer.

Picture: Red Bull, INPHO

The Great Wall

In the 80th renewal and seventh stage of the Paris-Nice - 155,5kms from Nice to Col de Turini - the peloton grinds its way up a steep 1,605m climb. Included are Belgium's Wout Van Aert, and Primoz Roglic of Slovenia, wearer of the yellow jersey.

Picture: Bas Czerwinski, Getty Images

Lots To Spray

France's Melanie Henique ahead of the Women's 50m Butterfly Heats at June's World Championships in Budapest.

Picture: Quinn Rooney, Getty Images

Touch And Go(al)

Ireland's Mack Hansen - facing the land of his birth - keeps the ball alive for Jamison Gibson-Park (eat your heart out ROG) in the Autumn international victory over Dave Rennie's Australia at the Aviva Stadium in November. Ireland finished the year as the world's No.1 ranked side.

Picture: Dan Sheridan,  INPHO

To The Letter...

Finnish pair Milania Vaananen and Mikhail Akulov follow their lines at January's European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.

Picture: Jurij Kodrun, Getty Images

Tangerine Touch

Ireland's John Egan - remind us how this lad isn't playing Premier League football? - celebrates his goal against Scotland at Hampden Park in the Nations League game in September.

Picture: Ryan Byrne, INPHO

Dreadlocked And Loaded

Finley Bealham and Andrew Porter scrum down at an Ireland captain’s run at Lansdowne Road.

Picture: Billy Stickland, INPHO

Demons Dismissed

It's taken some time for Kerry to knock Dublin off their perch, and the Kingdom players' reaction to Sean O'Shea's remarkable last-gasp winning free into Hill 16 tells as much. Killian Spillane and Adrian Spillane celebrate with their neighbour and friend from Kenmare as the Dubs run out of road.

Picture: James Crombie, INPHO

Sweet Childs Of Mine

Mayo might have fallen to Kerry in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final but Kevin McLoughlin quicklty gets perspective with his (then) six-week-old twins Odhran and Cadhla.

Picture: James Crombie, INPHO

Hot Pursuit

Competitors in the Speed Skating Women's Team Pursuit at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Picture: Bryan Keane, INPHO 

Purple Reign

Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka serves during her Women's Singles semi final against Poland's Iga Swiatek at the Hologic WTA Tour in Fort Worth, Texas in November.

Picture: Tom Pennington, Getty Images

Making A Splash

Lea Meyer goes down at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon — though possibly not in the way she had hoped. The German plunged head first into the water pit after catching her leg while attempting to jump the hurdle during the 3000m steeplechase heats. 

Picture: Martin Rickett, PA

Photo Bomber

Ok, it's not strictly a sports photo (even if the man behind the camera spends the greater part of his waking hours covering matches) but even the best snappers need that moment of good timing and fortune. Thousands of participants in over 200 locations in 10 countries participated in Darkness Into Light at first light on Saturday, May 7, raising funds for Pieta. In Killarney, Niamh, Gillian and Caoimhe McCarthy plus Martina Mollaghan had a quiet intruder they were unaware of.

Picture: James Crombie, INPHO

Ben And Merry

St Finbarr's came from the pack in 2022 to win a Cork Hurling championship, with Ben Cunningham one of the pivotal figures. The final against Blackrock was played in biblical conditions at Páirc Ui Chaoimh. 

Picture: Brendan Moran, Sportsfile 

It's Not Istanbul

Goodison Park isn't regarded as the most genteel ground in England for visiting teams and their supporters. Toffee fans clear their throats as they await the arrival of the Brentford team bus for the game with Everton last May.

Picture: Gareth Copley, Getty Images

The Eyes Have It

Grace Hodgins competing in the Irish Open Championship at the National Aquatic Centre in April.

Picture: Morgan Treacy, INPHO

Glovely Stuff

Mexico's Abraham Ancer taking it handy on the 10th tee of his native Open championship at Vidanta in Puerto Vallarta.

Picture: Hector Vivas, Getty Images.

Paris Pose

France's Gabin Villiere swan dives over for his second, and Les Bleus' third, try in the Six Nations meeting with Italy at Stade de France last February. The French come to Dublin on February 11, 2023 for a pivotal 6N encounter with Andy Farrell's Ireland.

Picture: Shaun Botterill, Getty Images

Crosshairs

Leinster's bloodied Michael Ala'alatoa sizes up the Ospreys in a URC game.

Picture: Dan Sheridan, INPHO

Sisters Be Doing It

Wanita Phakerood of Clann na Banna, Down, left, Aisling Boland of Navan O'Mahony's, Meath, during the Sports Direct Gaelic4Mothers & Others National Blitz day, hosted by the Naomh Mearnóg & St Sylvester's GAA clubs in Dublin.

Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach, Sportsfile

Fall Guys

Saudi Arabia keeper Mohammed Al-Owais takes man, ball and all (including his own Yasser Al-Shahrani) in their shock World Cup win over Argentina at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar. It didn't halt Messi and co's progress, however.

Picture: Adam Davy, PA Wire.

Having A Ball

Taoiseach Micheal Martin with Cllr Tomy Fitzgerald, and Diarmuid Hallissy, Sunday’s Well RFC president at the opening of the International Mixed Ability rugby tournament at Musgrave Park. 
Picture: 

Picture: Eddie O’Hare

Murder Ball

Greece's Konstantinos Kakaris leads the scrap for possession in the Water Polo World Championship game against Italy last July in Budapest. It's a sport where all is not what it seems on the surface - "It's really the fine art of looking as calm as possible above the water, but being as dirty as possible and getting away with as much as possible under the water," Canadian veteran Constantine Kudaba says.

Picture: Tom Pennington, Getty Images

The Final Hole

Tiger Woods milks the rapturous welcome from the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th and final hole of his Open Championship effort at the 150th Open at St Andrews in July. It was his last major at the old course.

Picture: Richard Heathcote, R&A via Getty Images 

Couldn't Watch Him

Limerick's Aaron Gillane has the gift of the goal, the ability to swoop at the key moments for game-breaking goals. Here he nets against Tipperary, despite the best efforts of Craig Morgan, Cathal Barrett and goalkeeper Barry Hogan.

Picture: James Crombie,  INPHO