Athlete of the Month
Carmelo Anthony, Basketball, United States: Carmelo Anthony has led the New York Knicks to its best season in 16 years (54-28), while winning the first scoring title of his 10-year NBA career. He scored an average of 28.7 points per game, edging Kevin Durant, the reigning three-time champion. Anthony's play this season has been unlike anything he has done before. Anthony showed his is more willing to pass out of double-teams, is much more efficient (posting a career-high PER of 24.8) and has made significant defensive improvements.
Fabian Cancellara, Road Cycling, Switzerland: Fabian Cancellara of the RadioShack-Leopard team for Switzerland won the 2013 Paris-Roubiax with the time of 5 hours, 45 minutes and 33 seconds. It is the third time he has won the 254-kilometer race. The Swiss cyclist, who won the event in 2006 and 2010, outsprinted Belgium's Sep Vanmarcke to the finish line. It was also his third major WorldTour victory in three weeks.
Lelisa Desisa, Marathon, Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa took the men's title in Boston Marathon winning a three-way sprint down Boylston Street to finish in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 22 seconds. It snapped a string of three consecutive Kenyan victories. In just his second race at the 26.2-mile distance, Desisa finished five seconds ahead of Kenya's Micah Kogo.It is Desisa's second victory in as many marathons, having won in Dubai in January in 2:04:45.
Novak Djokovic, Tennis, Serbia: Novak Djokovic ended Rafael Nadal's incredible streak at Monte Carlo. Nadal lost for the first time in eight years. Djokovic powered his ground strokes, on the rise, to all the difficult spaces to win 6-2, 7-6 (6-1), and claim his first Rolex Masters title in the city where he has lived for six years.
Alex Ovechkin, Hockey, Russia: In the Hart Trophy race for NHL MVP, Alex Ovechkin is a leading candidate. The Washington Capitals captain scored 23 goals and 13 assists in the final 23 games, and the Caps went 17-4-2 to make the playoffs. Ovechkin scored 56 points in 48 games, with a league-leading 32 goals. Ovechkin’s 16 power-play goals also led the NHL.
Adam Scott, Golf, Australia: Adam Scott became the first Australian to witn The Masters with the two biggest putts of his career. Scott holed a 20-footer for birdie on the 18th hole of regulation that put him into a playoff with Angel Cabrera, and then won his first major championship in Augusta, Ga., with a 12-footer for birdie on the second extra hole. Scott had a final round 3-under 69, and 9-under 279 total for the major. Scott's victory moved him to No. 3 in the world golf ranking.
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Brittney Griner, Basketball, United States: Brittney Griner won her second consecutive Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Award. The Baylor University basketball star averaged 23.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots this year. She is the top shot blocker in NCAA history (748) and the No 2 scorer (3,269). She was selected No. 1 overall in the draft by the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
Queen Harrison, Track and Field, United States: Queen Harrison upstaged all the other hyped 100-meter hurdlers at the the Drake Relays, including hometown star Lolo Jones and her London Games rivals, Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells. Harrison ran a world-leading 12.71 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles to win the marquee event. Harper and Wells finished second and third and Jones ended up fourth.
Zuzana Hejnova, Track and Field, Czech Republic: Zusana Hejnova of the Czech Republic cruised to the 400-meter hurdles title in a world-leading 54.41 seconds. Hejnova, who won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and holds the Czech record in the event, broke the stadium record at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, despite less than ideal conditions for sprinters.
Rita Jeptoo, Marathon, Kenya: Rita Jeptoo of Kenya won the women's race for the second time at the Boston Marathon. Jeptoo, who also won in 2006, finished in 2:26:25 for her first victory in a major race since taking two years off after having a baby. Jeptoo had a relatively comfortable 33-second margin over Meseret Hailu of Ethiopia. Defending champion Sharon Cherop of Kenya was another 3 seconds back.
Inbee Park, Golf, South Korea: Inbee Park took over the top spot in the women’s golf rankings, ending Stacy Lewis’s four-week run at No. 1. Park moved ahead of Lewis eight days after winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship for her second major title and second victory of the year. Park, a 24-year-old South Korean, also won the LPGA Thailand in February. Park won a four-stroke victory in the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills Country Club, shooting a final-round 69 for a four-day total of 15-under-par 273. It was her ninth career win.
Maria Sharapova, Tennis, Russia: No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova beat Li Na 6-4, 6-3 on to successfully defend her WTA Porsche Grand Prix title in a final between the last two French Open champions. Sharapova swept to her second 2013 title and became the first player to repeat at Stuttgart since Lindsey Davenport in 2005. It was her second title of the year after winning in Indian Wells, Calif. It was her 29th career title and 16th consecutive win on clay, dating to Rome last year. Since Stuttgart last year, she is 23-1 on clay.
