A year of sporting heroes ...

If he'd only kicked one ball all year, the Leytonstone lad would make our ?lite list. As long as it was that injury-time free-kick against Greece at Old Trafford.

Richard Burns

The 30-year-old Englishman's World Rally Championship was a triumph of grit and application. He won it by coming third in the Network Q Rally of Great Britain, only after his rivals Carlo Sainz and Colin McRae had pulled out. On his way to the title Burns won just one rally, in New Zealand. But whatever the terrain, Burns kept his car on the road.

Lennox Lewis

"I said Lewis would get knocked out last time, and I believe he will get knocked out this time. Simple as that." The words of Larry Holmes, a heavyweight who knew all about ushering ageing opponents to the exit marked retirement, before the Lewis-Rahman re-match. But he was wrong. Lennox, at 36, regained his world heavyweight crown by stopping his man in Las Vegas.

Ellen MacArthur

The 24-year-old Derbyshire woman came second in the 24,000-mile, single-handed, round-the-world Vendee Globe race that finished in February. In doing so, she became the first woman to sail the world solo. She went on to win the EDS Atlantic Challenge. MacArthur also won awards for valour after taking a hazardous detour during one race to save a fellow competitor. How heroic do you want?

Tony McCoy

The six-times Champion Jockey from County Antrim holds an honours degree in Bloody-Mindedness from the University of Mulish Obstinacy. A case in point was this year's Grand National. He was jettisoned from the back of his mount, Blowing Wind, by a loose horse. He set off in pursuit of his nag, jumped back on board and hared after the field. That kind of attitude saw him race to 100 winners this year quicker than any other rider in history.

Michael Owen

His hat-trick against Germany in Munich was the best performance by an England striker for 34 years. For Liverpool, too, Owen was in sublime form. He showed his big-game temperament by gunning down Arsenal in the FA Cup Final at Cardiff and also scored with monotonous regularity as The Reds completed the Cup treble with the Worthington and UEFA pots. He then capped it all by winning the European Player of the Year award.

He was Britain's favourite boy-racer when he was snapped up by Williams. But he has seen his F1 career stalled at the back of the grid with Benetton this season. Button looks a long way from ever emulating the true heroes of British motor racing, like Jackie Stewart, James Hunt or Damon Hill.