1/800th @f4, lens 500mm, ISO 2000
The Manx Missile sprints to victory in front of home fans a week before he won the world road race title. Seeing him sprinting at the end of a stage is one of my favourite sights in sport. A late summer deluge meant the road was covered with water but the dangerous conditions did not deter him. He manages to create amazing power standing on his pedals but still be very aerodynamic. He is so much lower over the handlebars than anyone else Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/1250th @f5.6, lens 180mm, ISO 200
The giant Frenchman was a real hit with the photographers at Wimbledon this year as he is one of the few players that actually comes to the net and dives around. His semi-final against the eventual champion Djokovic was the most entertaining match of the fortnight with some amazing points. This one ended with both players diving and ending up on the grass Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/800th @f4, lens 300mm, ISO 2000
On debut for Chelsea against his old team after his record-breaking transfer, Torres lies on the ground after an elbow in the face from former team-mate Daniel Agger. This picture sums up a dreadful year for the striker who failed to live up to his £50m price tag Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/640th @f4, lens 500mm, ISO 2000
Before every England game at Wembley I usually go round to near the players' tunnel to photograph the England manager watching practice from the same position. That night he started to get very anxious and tap his watch to his assistant Franco Baldini. He thought his players should be getting back to the dressing room to get ready for kick-off. He was then told that kick-off was 8pm not 7.45pm, hence his look of startled surprise Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/1000th @f5.6, lens 60mm, ISO 200
Obviously Darren Clarke stole the headlines with his victory at the end of the tournament but my personal highlight was witnessing the hole in one on day two by the veteran American. I had just started to follow Tom Watson that morning when he scored his ace at the sixth hole. He put his arms up then turned around on the tee and bowed to the cheering fans in the stand. I ran as fast as I could to be in place by the green to watch him pick the ball from the cup Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/1600th @f5.6, lens 28mm, ISO 1000
This race had been built up to a clash of the titans between the unbeaten three-year-old Frankel and the champion, four-year-old Canford Cliffs. The younger horse streaked away for an amazing victory. Frankel went through the year unbeaten and rightly won the title of horse of the year. This picture was taken on a remote camera with the focal length fixed on a point about a yard from the rails. Luckily for me I fired it at just the right moment when Frankel flew past and Canford Cliffs was struggling on the far rail in the background Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/4th @f16, lens 70mm, ISO 200
This was taken during the team pursuit qualifying that lasted for over an hour with the individual teams competing against the clock one at a time. This meant I had plenty of time to experiment with slow shutter speeds and lighting. I ended up combining the effects of flash-blur and reverse panning. Normally, to get a feeling of speed, I would set a slow shutter speed and follow the cyclists as they made their way round the track. However I worked out that if I was to pan in the opposite direction to the cyclists using a slow shutter speed and simultaneously trigger a remote flash inside the track, then I could freeze the rider in silhouette and blur the scenery. After quite a bit of playing around with different exposure settings, I settled on this and then just had to get my timing right Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/1000th @f4, lens 500mm, ISO 2500
Taken during the Four Nations clash, England's Chris Heighington gets grabbed round the throat by Keith Galloway. I don't get much of a chance to photograph top-class rugby league and was really looking forward to it. It was extremely physical and rough and the Aussies seemed to get away with some very dodgy tackles, just like this one Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/800th @f4, lens 135mm, ISO 2000
I had very good memories of this event at the same arena 11 years ago, so I knew that if I was granted access to the catwalk in the roof, like last time, then I could have some fun. Shooting action on ice from an elevated angle always works well as the racers seem like they are floating on air. It gives a strange, unusual sense of perspective Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/250th @f9, lens 24mm, ISO 200
Walking along Wembley Way to the stadium, this group of Potters fans certainly stand out! I can't help but think did they travel all the way from home dressed like that? I love it when teams get to Wembley that are not used to playing there. The fans dress up far more and are determined to make a real day of it. But is there ever any need for 'mankinis' to be worn? Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/640th @f2.8, lens 200mm, ISO 3200
I was sent along to this match for a story on the GB handball team and their preparations for next year's Olympics. I had never photographed the sport before so took a bit of time learning the rules and finding out the best angles. In the second half I managed to find a decent elevated position behind the goal and was able to get a good view of the surprisingly rough action below Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/640th @f1.4, lens 50mm, ISO 200
We had an interview with the greatest flat jockey of all time in a West End hotel. Suitable locations for a portrait were very thin on the ground. Fortunately I managed to gain permission to shoot in a roof-top restaurant that had a bank of bright windows. It was just a case of getting a couple of reflectors to bounce around the natural light to create the correct light to show off Lester's brilliant, character-full face Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/800th @f3.2, lens 105mm, ISO 2500 (3 exposures)
This was taken at another Olympic test event at the ExCeL. It was beautifully and very theatrically lit. It was as though they were competing on a stage. Fencing is another Olympic event that I love to photograph. It is literally so black and white. The background is crucial and so helps the fencers stand out clearly Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/1250th @f8, lens 250mm, ISO 400
Another opportunity for me to check out a venue for next year's Olympics. I definitely think that this event could produce an iconic image for the London Games. If the organisers can get the angles and fence just right then I can imagine a picture of a horse leaping over Canary Wharf! Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/400th @f5.6, lens 500mm, ISO 200
Towards the end of the fourth day with England on top, Pietersen finds time to joke around on the boundary edge. I think he may have been reacting to a friend he had seen in the crowd Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/160th @f3.5, lens70mm, ISO 800
McGuigan was a real hero of mine from the mid-80s so I was really looking forward to meeting up with him at his beautiful home in the Kentish countryside. He was training a new protege from Belfast called Carl Frampton. This portrait of the Ulstermen was taken in the basement that had been converted into a makeshift gym. The mix of ambient light and two flashes from either side have produced lovely soft, painterly colours Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/640th @f5.6, lens 700mm, ISO 1250
As the final whistle is blown, Sir Alex Ferguson and the home supporters leap to their feet to acclaim the victory that virtually assured the Premier League title was heading to Old Trafford. This was their record-breaking 19th title, thus breaking arch-rivals Liverpool's record. I felt that at the end of the game the best celebrations would be around the United bench, which fortunately is tucked up right by the fans in the stand Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/800th @f2.8, lens 38mm, ISO 2000
The best male singles player in the world, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, leaps to play a smash in his first-round match. I wanted to try out a few different angles and techniques ahead of the Olympics next year. This effect was taken with a multiple exposure of three frames with a slight zooming out of the lens in between shots. I was lying down in the corner of the court with the camera on a mini-tripod and just waited until the player came nearest me and sprang into the air Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/1000th @f4, lens 500mm, ISO 1250
Wales prop Craig Mitchell tangles with English opponent Alex Corbisiero at a scrum. Despite it being a home game, the RFU decided to give a debut to the hideous new all black England away kit. Quite rightly this ruffled a few feathers in New Zealand where the England team suffered a hugely embarrassing and costly failure at the World Cup Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/1600th @f6.3, lens 19mm, ISO 400
This was a sport I had never had the chance to cover so I leapt at the chance when I found out that these championships were happening at Butlins. It made for lovely pictures as the competitors heaved and groaned while pulling Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/13th @f22, lens 58mm, ISO 100
Taken at the rowing venue for next year's Games and another test event. Again it was a chance to check out the shooting positions as well as shutter speeds and exposures for certain effects. Here the photogenic symmetry of the quadruple sculls boat, shot from an elevated angle, with a slow-shutter speed combined with zooming out during exposure Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/250th @f10, lens 24mm, ISO 200
The great Paralympian nicknamed Blade Runner was getting a feel of the surroundings inside the stadium. Pistorius made history this year when he competed against able-bodied athletes in the World Athletics Championships. This portrait of him was simply lit with two flashes from either side Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/800th @f3.5, lens 200mm, ISO 2500
This competition doubled as the Olympic test event where both Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments took place. Here it is the women's freestyle 55kg competition with Britain's Olga Butkevych fighting Irina Ologonova of Russia. To me it seems a lot of the time is taken up with some strange sort of cuddling rather than fighting. It reminds me of a dance and seems very quiet and calm. I love taking pictures of wrestling even though I hardly ever get the chance and the rules are still a bit of a mystery to me Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/2000th @f6.3, lens 40mm, ISO 400
On the day before the Grand National, they have another race over the unique fences. It was a beautiful day and I decided to concentrate on one fence on the back straight that has the full sun on it. It is a great fence for a remote picture so I put one camera on the take-off side and one on the landing. Fortunately one horse made a complete mess of it. The jockey, who was a bit shaken up, went back to the weighing room in the same taxi as me that I had taken to get to the jump on the far side of the course Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
1/400th @f2.8, lens 70mm, ISO 2500
This picture is an example of me trying to get a picture out of being in a terrible position for the trophy presentation. Only a couple of agency photographers were allowed on the pitch to get near the trophy lift so I decided to see if I could make something out of the darkness that was created when the lights were turned down for dramatic effect. I knew there would be loads of flashes from the cameras of spectators in the crowd. The star was created when a flash went off directly opposite me, and this combined with the laser show behind the players makes for a pleasing, different image Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian
