Missy Franklin Captures Gold

Best Sports Moments of 2012

17-Year-Old Claims 100m Backstroke

Missy Franklin earned her first gold just minutes after finishing a preliminary heat. It was her second career medal after winning one in the 100m backstroke.

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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Super Mario Save... Mario Manningham Caught a 38-Yard Pass, Firing Up the Giants Winning Drive

Down 17-15 with 3:39 left in the fourth, Eli Manning started New York's game-winning 88-yard drive by firing a 38-yard strike to Manningham. Making a fingertip catch and getting his left foot down, Manningham barely dragged his right toe inbounds. Eight plays later, Ahmad Bradshaw backed into the end zone to put New York ahead 21-17. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

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Bubba Wins at Au... Bubba Watson Hooks Out of the Pine Trees to Make Par

Watson played out of the trees on the second hole of the Masters playoff. Hooking it 40 yards right, he made it to 10 feet with a pitching wedge from 164 yards out. Watson made par to win the Masters. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Miami Heat Captu... LeBron Won First Ring

Facing elimination in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron lit up the Celtics with 45 points. Miami won the series in seven games and James went on to quiet all the nay-sayers in the Finals, defeating the Thunder and earning his first ring.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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Josh Hamilton Li... Hamilton Hits Four Home Runs in May Game

During four at bats, Josh Hamilton sent four balls sky-high for four home runs against Baltimore. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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Los Angeles King... First NHL No. 8 Seed to Win the Cup

The L.A. Kings were a dominant force in their 2012 quest for the Lord Stanley trophy. Seeded eighth in the West, the Kings upset the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks. From there the Kings took off, defeating the Blues, Coyotes, and Devils to win the Stanley Cup. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Phelps Makes His... Wins 19th Career Olympic Medal

Michael Phelps won gold as the anchor in the 4x200m freestyle, making him the most decorated Olympian of all time. The U.S. blew away the field in the race. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
U.S. Women's Gym... Captured First Team Gold Since 1996

The U.S. women’s gymnastics squad easily defeated the competition to become just the second American team to win gold, putting the "Fierce Five" in the same category as the '96 team. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobsen)

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Gold for 'The Fl... Douglas Becomes Third Straight American to Win All-Around Gold

Gabby Douglas won the women's all-around gold two nights after she and her "Fierce Five" teammates gave the U.S. its first Olympic team title since 1996.

(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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Missy Franklin C... 17-Year-Old Claims 100m Backstroke

Missy Franklin earned her first gold just minutes after finishing a preliminary heat. It was her second career medal after winning one in the 100m backstroke.

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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USA Outlasts Can... Goal in 123rd Minute Ices Win

Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod could not stop Alex Morgan's game-winning header that sent the U.S. into the gold-medal final. The U.S. went on to defeat Japan for their straight Olympic gold. The victory was a measure of revenge considering the Japanese women defeated the Americans in the 2011 World Cup final. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

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More History for... Led Wire-to-Wire in 200m IM Victory

Michael Phelps became the first male swimmer to win the same event at three successive Olympics when he captured the men's 200-meter individual medley gold medal. Ryan Lochte finished second.

(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza)

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Lochte Wins 400 ... Beats Michael Phelps

Ryan Lochte won the 400-meter individual medley by more than three seconds, beating his top rival Michael Phelps.

(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

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Vollmer Breaks W... Sets 100m Butterfly Mark

American Dana Vollmer broke the 100m butterfly world record with a time of 55.98 seconds to win the gold medal. She even swam more than half the race without part of her swimming cap, which fell off during the first 50 meters.

(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza)

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Cabrera Gets Cro... Tigers' Miguel Cabrera Takes the Triple Crown

The Tigers slugger is the first to win the Triple Crown since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Cabrera finished 2012 with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs, and 139 RBI to become just the 15th major leaguer to accomplish the feat. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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Giants Sweep Tig... San Francisco Swept Away Detroit Series

The Giants took their second World Series Championship in three years, defeating the Tigers in four games. (AP Photo/Tim Donnelly)

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Three Times a Ch... Philip Humber, Matt Cain, and Felix Hernandez Pitched Perfectly

Chicago's Philip Humber (against Seattle), San Francisco's Matt Cain (against Houston) and Seattle's Felix Hernandez (against Tampa Bay) all joined the exclusive '27 up, 27 down' club in the 2012 season. (AP Photos)

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Coughlin Earns 1... Captured Bronze in 4x100-meter Freestyle Relay

Natalie Coughlin tied Dana Torres and Jenny Thompson for most career medals by an American woman with 12.

(AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

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100 Meters in a ... Bolt Won in Record Time

Usain Bolt defended his 100 meter Olympic title in record time, crossing the finish line in an Olympic record of 9.63 seconds. Bolt joined Carl Lewis as the only men with consecutive gold medals in the 100m. (AP Photo/Michael Kienzler)

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Bolt Does it Aga... Also Defends 200m Title

Usain Bolt won the 200 meters in 19.32 seconds, just shy of his Olympic record time of 19.30, set in 2008. Bolt becomes the first man with two Olympic golds in the 200 and the first to defend both the 100 and 200m Olympic titles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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Kayla Harrison W... First American Ever to Win Judo Gold

Kayla Harrison won the first ever gold for the U.S. by defeating Great Britain’s Gemma Gibbons. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Rhode Makes Hist... Medals in Five Straight Olympics

Skeet shooter Kimberly Rhode won gold, making her the first American to take an individual-sport medal in five consecutive Olympics. She hit an incredible 99 out of 100 targets. (AP Photo/Maja Hitij)

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Federer Defeats ... Roger Federer Outlasted Murray in Wimbledon Final

Federer went more than two years without winning a major title. He ended that drought when he came from behind to win a tense Winbledo final against Andy Murray. Federer became the first man in his 30s to win Wimbledon since Arthur Ashe in 1975. The win also tied Federer with Pete Sampras for most Wimbledon titles with seven. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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USA Defeats Mexi... Men's Soccer Won in Mexico for First Time in 75 Years

The United States had not won on Mexico’s turf in 75 years, and it had a putrid 0-23-1 record during that time. That was until the Americans brought a young, fiesty squad to the Azteca and Michael Orozco Fiscal scored in the 80th minute of a 1-0 win. The U.S. was outplayed, but Orozco Fiscal’s unanswered goal gave the American’s their first-ever win in Mexico over the rival El Tri. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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Double-Overtime ... Timberwolves and Thunder Totaled 289 Points in Double-Overtime Thriller

Minnesota's Kevin Love scored a career-high 51 points, including a three-pointer to force overtime with one second left, and J.J. Barea recorded the Timberwolves' first triple-double since 2007. But their effort wasn't enough to stop Russell Westbrook (career-best 45 points) and Kevin Durant as the Oklahoma City won a 149-140 thriller. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

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Mike Baxter Help... Tough Catch Saved Johan Santana's No-Hitter

Baxter's serious dedication saved Santana's no-hitter. He crashed into the wall and made a catch to help the Mets record their first no hitter. Unfortunately, the play put Baxter on the disabled list with a displaced collarbone. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

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Oilers' Sam Gagn... Records Eight Points in Win Over Blackhawks

The 22-year-old Oilers forward became the first player since 1988 to record an eight-point regular-season game, finishing with four goals and four assists in Edmonton's 8-4 win over Chicago. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

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The Year's Best ... Juan Manuel Marquez Defeats Manny Pacquiao

After four fights and one "perfect punch," Juan Manuel Marquez finally defeated rival Manny Pacquiao with a devastating sixth-round knockout. Pacquiao claims he never saw the right coming and was out cold for two minutes. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.