A flip, a fling and a fist pump that seemed lost forever.
Simone Biles, Kawhi Leonard and Tiger Woods took their best shot. So did ace photographers all over the world, capturing The Associated Press Sports Year in Pictures.

Megan Rapinoe, Tom Brady and the Washington Nationals, lasting images of finishing first. And then Maximum Security, from first to last.
From the sand of Dakar to the mud of Churchill Downs to green fields across the globe, pure competition and sheer exhilaration.
On the track in Europe, Lewis Hamilton racing to his sixth Formula One championship. Under a March Madness dome, deliberate Virginia outlasting Texas Tech in overtime for its first hoops title.
And on the dirt at Angel Stadium, a whole other side to sports. There, teammates of Tyler Skaggs gathered to place their jerseys on the mound to remember a pitcher gone too soon.
Be it the arena or ballpark, the course or court, 2019 served up memorable moments, there to be caught on camera.