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In Pictures: The sporting year in quotes

A look back at the sporting highs and lows of 2012.

REUTERS NEWS PICTURES - IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2012
"I did everything I wanted to. I finished my career the way I wanted to," - Eighteen-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps calls time on his glittering career at the London Games. 
Published On 28 Dec 2012

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Fans of Guatemalan Silver medalist in th
"I hope that this medal inspires the kids at home to put down guns and knives and pick up a pair of trainers instead," - Erick Barrondo, Guatemala(***)s first-ever Olympian after winning silver in the men’s 20k race walk in London.
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REUTERS NEWS PICTURES - IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2012
"I(***)m now a legend. I(***)m also the greatest athlete to live," – modest Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt after retaining his 100 and 200 metre titles in London.
Super Bowl XLVI
"This isn(***)t about bragging rights. This is a lot bigger. This is about a team, an organisation being named world champions," - New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning celebrates his second Super Bowl victory. 
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade
"It(***)s about damn time," - Miami Heat forward LeBron James finally secures his first NBA title.
REUTERS NEWS PICTURES - IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2012
"I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall. I have fallen several times. Each time I just get up and I dust myself off and I pray and I(***)m able to do better," – Wimbledon champion Serena Williams on her return to tennis from a from a life-threatening illness. 
Le Tour de France 2012 - Stage Twenty
"It sounds cheesy, but your whole life is for this and the reason I got into cycling as a kid was today," – Britain’s first Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins gets emotional. 
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CYCLING-FRA-TDF-2010-ARMSTRONG-CONTADOR
"There comes a point in every man(***)s life when he has to say, (***)Enough is enough.(***) For me, that time is now," – disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong announces he will not contest doping allegations. 
CYCLING-USA-FRANCE-ARMSTRONG-DOPING-FILES
"The evidence shows beyond any doubt that the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team ran the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping program that sport has ever seen," - US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart. 
AUTO-PRIX-F1-BRAZIL-VETTEL
"People were not even mentioning us when they were talking about the championship, but I think the most important thing was that we always kept believing," – Three-time Formula One winner Sebastian Vettel.
Real Valladolid CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga
"I am more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. When all this is over, what are you left with?" - Barcelona great Lionel Messi who broke Gerd Mueller’s 40-year-old record for most goals in a calendar year.