The Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards battled to a final score Wednesday night that looked more like the result of an All-Star Game than an early-season matchup, combining to score 317 points, the most in an NBA game decided by a single point.

The Rockets needed every one of James Harden's 59 points to prevail 159-158, and the Wizards matched the record for the most points scored in an NBA regulation loss.

The previous record for combined points in a game decided by a single point was 311 between the Bulls and Trail Blazers in 1984. Houston set a franchise record for points Wednesday night, while Washington's 158 was the second-most in franchise history and matched the mark for the most in a regulation loss set by the Nuggets in 1990. The Wizards' effective field goal percentage of .736 was the highest in a loss since the shot-clock era began in 1954-55, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.

It was the third game in the past 25 seasons in which each team scored at least 150 points, joining the Bulls' 168-161 win over the Hawks this past March and the Suns' 161-157 win over the Nets in December 2006.

The Rockets and Wizards combined to score 153 points in the first half, the highest-scoring half in a game this young season.

Harden made one of two free throws with 2.4 seconds to play to give the Rockets the victory. He was 18-of-32 from the field, 6-of-14 from 3-point range and 17-of-18 from the free throw line. He also had nine assists in 37 minutes. He now has a 50-point game in five consecutive seasons, tied for the second-longest streak in NBA history, with 19 total in his career.

Teammate Russell Westbrook had his second-triple double of the season, with 17 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Harden and Westbrook are the first pair of teammates to have a 55-point outing and a triple-double in the same game since Reggie Miller (57 points) and Pooh Richardson in 1992, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. Harden and Westbrook scored or assisted on 128 of the Rockets' 159 points.

For the Wizards, Bradley Beal scored 46 points, including hitting three throws with 8.1 seconds left to tie it at 158. His performance made it the second instance in NBA history of three different players having 55-plus points, 45-plus points and a triple-double in a single game, per research by the Elias Sports Bureau. In December 1961, Wilt Chamberlain had 78 points, Elgin Baylor had 63 points and Jerry West had a triple-double in the Lakers' 151-147 win over the Philadelphia Warriors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The 76ers' Joel Embiid and Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns were ejected for fighting in the third quarter of Wednesday night's game in Philadelphia.

The two big men, who have a history of talking trash to each other, shoved each other at the Wolves' end of the court while the Sixers pushed the ball upcourt, with Towns throwing a punch that missed and then putting Embiid in a headlock.

At one point during their tussle, Embiid was seen forcing his thumb into Towns' right eye as 76ers coach Brett Brown and players moved in to break things up. The players were still on their feet grappling before being separated.

Embiid and Towns were tossed after a video review.

"We deemed the altercation a fight. Therefore, by rule, they're both ejected,'' Mark Ayotte, the officials' crew chief, told a pool reporter after the game. "I just saw them each lock arms. And that escalated to the fight."

Brown said after the game that he's not concerned that Embiid will receive a suspension, saying he didn't see any punches thrown and that Embiid did not instigate the fight.

Afterward, Embiid made light of the situation in a post on his Twitter account, writing in part, "Great team win!!! I was raised around lions and a cat pulled on me tonight."

.@JoelEmbiid's post-fight Instagram ? pic.twitter.com/oGVFY9qvpS

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 31, 2019

Embiid said no incident with Towns earlier in the game was a factor in their altercation, and that "it kind of happened out of nowhere."

"I felt like you could see a lot of things the previous three possessions in the post." he said. "I kind of got it the way I wanted to, and then -- I don't know, I guess that last possession, we got them to turn the ball over, and my hand was staying tangled up. And next thing I know, he's holding me; we're holding each other.

"But it's basketball. That's what I'm good at -- I like to get in people's minds."

Towns didn't get into specifics, instead saying, "It was a competitive game" in response to multiple questions about the fight.

"As you can see tonight, [Town's] got a lot of fight in him," Wolves guard Jeff Teague told reporters. "Last year, I wouldn't say he wouldn't do that or he would've took it, but he's here to make a statement. I think tonight it just showed a lot of heart. I'm riding with him."

At the bottom of the scrum, Embiid's teammate Ben Simmons had his forearm around Towns' throat as he forcefully held his opponent down. Ayotte said his crew deemed Simmons a "peacemaker" who was trying to break up the fight.

"Just making sure my teammate was good," Simmons said. "I always got my teammate's back."

Embiid shadowboxed to the crowd's delight on his way back to the locker room, and fans responded with "MVP!" chants. He said he didn't expect to be suspended for his part in the incident.

"All I did was try to be as cool as I could in that situation. Personally, I didn't throw any punches, so I shouldn't get suspended," he said. "But they have a history of just overruling anything that comes to me in a subtle way -- so hopefully they'll overrule it in the right way, but I don't expect it."

Philadelphia beat Minnesota 117-95 for its fourth consecutive victory to begin the season. The Sixers were leading by 20 when Embiid and Towns went at it.

Embiid played only 20 minutes and still led Philadelphia in scoring with 19 points. Towns scored 13 in 23 minutes for Minnesota (3-1).

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry suffered a broken left hand in Wednesday's game against the Phoenix Suns after a hard fall.

The play happened with 8:31 left in the third quarter when Curry drove to the rim and collided with Suns big man Aron Baynes, who attempted to take a charge and ended up falling on top of Curry's hand.

Curry stayed on the ground for a few moments holding his wrist and then got up and tried to shake off the pain. He tried to stay in the game before the Warriors called a timeout and Curry walked to the bench. After another few moments, Curry headed to the locker room with Rick Celebrini, the Warriors' director of sports medicine and performance.

Since Curry was not able to take his free throws after Baynes was called for the foul, he was not permitted to reenter Wednesday's game. Warriors center Willie Cauley-Stein took the free throws in Curry's absence.

Houston Astros fans, who saw their team suffer the biggest World Series upset in 29 years, have something to look forward to: The Astros, for now, are the favorites to win next year's World Series.

Houston fell to the Washington Nationals 6-2 in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night. The Nationals were nearly 2-1 underdogs to the Astros in the series, making their victory the largest World Series upset since the Cincinnati Reds took down the Oakland Athletics as +260 underdogs in 1990.

At 4-1, the Astros are the favorites at Caesars Sportsbook to win the 2020 World Series, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, who are each 5-1. The Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves are each 10-1.

The Nationals, who captured the franchise's first World Series, are 14-1 to win next year's title, along with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs.

Multiple impactful free agents could be on the move and shift the 2020 World Series odds this offseason, including Houston ace Gerrit Cole and Washington starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg and third baseman Anthony Rendon.

Cole, 29, went 20-5 during the regular season with 326 strikeouts. The right-hander struck out nine in a stellar seven-inning performance in Game 5 of the World Series in what might have been his final start with the Astros.

Strasburg went 8⅓ innings and struck out seven in Game 6; Rendon hit a home run in Game 6 and another in Game 7.

Washington was expected to be a contender to begin the season but got off to a disappointing start; in June, the Nationals saw their World Series odds drift to 50-1 at some sportsbooks. They took off after the All-Star break, upset the Dodgers in the National League Division Series and swept the St. Louis Cardinals to advance to the franchise's first World Series.

The Philadelphia Phillies enter the offseason at 16-1 to win next year's World Series, followed by the Milwaukee Brewers at 18-1 and the Cardinals at 20-1. The New York Mets are 22-1, and the Minnesota Twins, Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays are each 30-1 at Caesars Sportsbook.

The Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins and Kansas City Royals have the longest odds in 2020 at 1,000-1.

HOUSTON -- The shutdown that shook baseball paid off for Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals.

It just took seven seasons.

Strasburg was voted MVP of the World Series following the Nationals' 6-2 win over the Houston Astros in Game 7 on Wednesday night, the first title in the 51 seasons of the Washington/Montreal Expos franchise.

Ending the most prolific of 10 big league seasons for the 31-year-old right-hander, Strasburg went 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five postseason starts and one relief appearance, including victories in Games 2 and 6 of the Series.

Seven years after Strasburg was shut down because of an innings limit following Tommy John surgery, he helped lead the Nationals to a championship.

"I slept like a baby when we made the decision," Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said Wednesday. "I knew more information than the people criticizing. I've got a pretty thick skin being in the game this long."

Selected by Washington with the first pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Strasburg made his first Nationals start a year later and grabbed attention with 14 strikeouts, the most in a big league debut since Houston's J.R. Richard in 1971. But after Strasburg's 12th start came the shocking news, three of the most dreaded words in baseball: Tommy John surgery.

Strasburg returned for five abbreviated starts in September 2011 and was 15-6 with a 3.16 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 159⅓ innings when the Nationals cut short his 2012 season on Sept. 8, citing the need to protect his arm. Washington finished with a big league-best 98 wins but without its ace lost to St. Louis in a five-game division series.

"What if" became the team motto, at least for Nationals fans.

Not for Strasburg.

"Try not to look in the past. Try not to look in the future. Really just try and be in the moment," he said this October. "Once you start thinking about how things could have been or what things might happen, it takes your focus away from what your job is."

Strasburg's October is unmatched, the first pitcher to go 5-0 in a single postseason -- Arizona's Randy Johnson was 5-2 in 2001 and Angels reliever Francisco Rodriguez 5-1 the following year. Stras, as teammates call him, struck out 47 and walked four in 36⅓ innings. He won Games 2 and 6 against Houston in the World Series, giving up four runs over 14⅓ innings in an analytic era of quick hooks.

Intense and quiet, Stras and Mad Max are the yin and yang of the Nationals' championship rotation.

"Max is a little bit more outgoing -- rambunctious maybe is the word. And Stras is a little more subtle in his behavior," manager Dave Martinez said before Game 7. "In case you didn't notice yesterday when the game was over, there was a group hug for Stras. They all got together and gave him a big hug. ... When Max does it and pitches, he wants all those hugs."

Having finished the third season of a contract guaranteeing $175 million over seven years -- and earning an extra $250,000 for the World Series MVP honor -- Strasburg can opt out of his deal, give up $100 million and become a free agent. He is coming off his most durable season, going 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 251 strikeouts in an NL-high 209 innings, boosting his record to 112-58 in 10 seasons.

In 2015, the New York Mets let Matt Harvey pitch 216 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery, and they reached the World Series before losing to Kansas City in five games. Harvey hasn't had a winning season since and his career is uncertain going into 2020.

Strasburg was protected and endures.

"Sometimes the hardest decisions aren't the most popular decisions," Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "I think the most important thing is the organization really did have the best interests in mind for the player. And I think sometimes that gets lost in the equation. So I respect the heck out of them for doing that for Stephen."

HOUSTON -- Almost out of contention in May, champs in October.

Howie Kendrick, Anthony Rendon and the Washington Nationals completed their amazing comeback journey -- fittingly with one last late rally on the road.

In Game 7 of the World Series, no less.

Kendrick and Rendon homered in the seventh inning as the Nationals overcame a two-run deficit, rocking the Houston Astros 6-2 Wednesday night to win the first title in franchise history.

With all eyes on Max Scherzer and his remarkable recovery after a painkilling injection, these Nationals truly embraced their shot in the only Series when the road team won every game.

Even more against the odds: Juan Soto and Washington came from behind to win five elimination games this postseason, an unprecedented feat.

"What a story," said Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals' initial draft pick back in 2005.

"I hope D.C.'s ready for us to come home!"

World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, new lefty Patrick Corbin and the Nats brought the first World Series championship to the nation's capital since ol' Walter Johnson delivered the crown for the Senators in 1924.

This franchise started out as the Montreal Expos in 1969 when the major leagues expanded beyond the border, putting a team with tricolor caps at jaunty Jarry Park. They moved to D.C. in 2005, ending Washington's three-decade-plus wait for big league baseball after the Senators left town to become the Texas Rangers.

But the incredible path these wild-card Nationals with the curly W logo took, well, no one could have imagined.

"Resilient, relentless bunch of guys," manager Dave Martinez said. "They fought all year long."

Having lost star slugger Bryce Harper to free agency and beset by bullpen woes, Washington plummeted to 19-31 in late May. It got so bad there was talk around town the Nationals might fire Martinez and trade away Scherzer.

Instead, they stuck with the mantra that sprung up on T-shirts -- Stay In The Fight.

"That was out motto," Scherzer said.

And months later they finished it, indeed.

"Guess what? We stayed in the fight. We won the fight!" Martinez shouted during the trophy celebration on the field.

"We were down and out. We were 19-31. We didn't quit then, we weren't going to quit now," he said.

For the 43,326 revved-up fans at Minute Maid Park, it was a combination of shock and disappointment. So close to seeing the Astros win their second title in three years, they watched their chance suddenly vanish as Houston fell apart.

"I've got a group of heartbroken men in there that did everything they could to try to bring a World Series championship to this city. And we fell one win shy," Astros manager AJ Hinch said.

"Let's be honest, there's 28 other teams that would love to have our misery today. We play to get here. We play to have an opportunity to win it all. And I just told our team, it's hard to put into words and remember all the good that happened because right now we feel as bad as you can possibly feel," he added.

Washington kept pulling away after taking the lead, with Adam Eaton's two-run single in the ninth accounting for the final margin.

Zack Greinke was in complete control until Rendon -- a Houston prep and college star -- hit a home run that cut Houston's lead to 2-1 in the seventh.

When Soto followed with a one-out walk, manager AJ Hinch decided to make a move. He'd had ace starter Gerrit Cole warming up in the bullpen earlier, but this call was for Will Harris.

Kendrick connected on the second pitch, slicing a drive that hit the screen attached to the right field foul pole. Just like that, everything had changed for the team in orange that led the majors in wins, and the ballpark fell silent.

For Kendrick, another timely blow. At 36, playing on the oldest team in the majors, the journeyman earned the NL Championship Series MVP award against St. Louis after hitting the winning grand slam in the 10th inning of the deciding Game 5 in the Division Series at Dodger Stadium.

Then again, this was nothing new for the Nationals.

Washington rallied in the eighth to beat Milwaukee in the wild-card game and took the last two to beat Los Angeles in the NLDS, setting up a sweep of the Cardinals in the NLCS.

Far away, a big crowd poured into Nationals Park for a watch party. That was the stadium where Houston hammered the Nats for three games last weekend, but their luck changed in Texas.

"The way this game went is the way our whole season went," said Zimmerman, the last player left from the 2005 Nationals team that debuted in Washington.

This World Series had lacked a lot of drama, aside from a volatile call of interference in Washington's Game 6 win that stoked heated debate across the sports world. Who knew rule 5.09(a)(11) could stir such passion?

With Greinke and Scherzer grunting on every pitch, Game 7 was a classic duel from the start.

Yuli Gurriel put the Astros ahead with a home run in the second and Carlos Correa added an RBI single off Scherzer that made it 2-0 in the fifth.

Scherzer was done after the fifth, but he had done his job to keep it close. Only a few days earlier, the three-time Cy Young Award winner had been unable to lift his right arm because of nerve irritation near his neck.

Daniel Hudson, released by the Angels in March, closed it out for the Nationals, who made Houston pay for stranding so many runners on base all game. Hudson struck out Michael Brantley for the last out, then threw his glove to start the celebration.

For the Astros, who brought baseball into the Space Age with their far-out Astrodome and AstroTurf, and helped zoom the game into the galaxy of the Analytics Era, it was a startling end.

Houston shares a spring training complex in Florida with the Nationals and reported to camp in February full of high hopes.

The Astros breezed to the AL West title, edged Tampa Bay in a five-game ALDS and topped the Yankees in the ALCS. They played through front-office fiasco, which led to the firing of an executive for a boorish rant at female reporters during a clubhouse celebration.

In a few months, the Astros and Nationals start training side-by-side and open exhibition play with a World Series rematch on Feb. 22 at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. They met in their Grapefruit League opener this year and Scherzer gave up a home run to the first batter of the game.

HOUSTON -- They used to call the old Houston Astrodome the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Maybe we need a nickname for what transpired Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park in Game 7 of the World Series. Something like the Seventh Inning Shocker might work.

Or just call it this: The inning that made the Washington Nationals the World Series champions, as Howie Kendrick once again played postseason superhero. Kendrick's two-run home run off the foul pole in right off Will Harris gave the Nationals a 3-2 lead and was one of the most dramatic Game 7 homers in World Series history. How we got to that point will be debated and discussed and argued about all winter long.

Should Zack Greinke have remained in the game? Should Gerrit Cole have come in? What happens if that 2-1 pitch to Juan Soto is called a strike? Is Anthony Rendon a man or a coldhearted, lethal, pitcher-devouring machine?

The ultimate 6-2 victory capped the most unlikely of World Series. The road team won all seven games. That had never happened before. Only the baseball gods can understand how this stuff plays out sometimes. The team that started 19-31 is now the World Series champions -- for the first time in franchise history, going back to their birth in 1969 as the Montreal Expos, and the first time for a Washington baseball team since the Senators back in the halcyon days of 1924.

The Nationals trailed 3-1 in the eighth inning of the wild-card game. They trailed 3-1 in the eighth inning of the final game of the division series against the Dodgers. This time they decided not to wait that long. Manager Dave Martinez likes to say, "Let's go 1-0 today." They went 1-0 in the biggest game of the season.

Through six innings, the Astros led 2-0. Greinke had allowed just one hit and two baserunners and had stolen the script from the back-from-the-dead Max Scherzer, who had allowed two runs in five innings, battling through baserunner after baserunner on a night he didn't have his best stuff. Given Scherzer could barely move his right arm three days ago, it was a remarkable and gutty performance.

That got us to the seventh inning. Greinke had thrown just 67 pitches, befuddling the Nationals with his array of 89-mph fastballs, changeups and slow curves, including one big blooper to Soto in the fifth inning that clocked in at 65.8 mph. Soto was so befuddled he ended up striking out on a checked swing on a changeup two pitches later.

The Nationals were batting around for the third time and Adam Eaton, the No. 2 hitter in the lineup, led off the inning with a ground out. At that moment, eight outs from victory and 2-0 lead with nobody on base, the Astros had an 88 percent chance to win, according to ESPN's win probability model.

Up stepped Rendon, the man everyone likes to say has the slowest heartbeat in the game. This is not a guy who is going to carry his bat to first base -- even when he homers in Game 7 of the World Series. Which he did. The Nats were down a run.

Soto, the 21-year-old phenom with the plate discipline of Ted Williams and the bravado of the game's newest superstar, was up and worked the count to 2-1 and took a changeup at the knees. Ball three. Those in favor of robot umpires will stash that call away. He walked on the next pitch.

That brought up the 36-year-old Kendrick, who hit .344 on the season, who hit the series-winning grand slam against the Dodgers, who won MVP honors in the National League Championship Series. A.J. Hinch went to his bullpen. Cole had started to get loose back in the fifth inning, but Harris has been the Astros' best reliever all season and in the postseason, although Rendon had tagged him for the crucial home run in Game 6.

Kendrick swung and missed at a curveball and then lined a cutter low and away off the foul pole. Pretty good pitch. Better swing. Estimated distance: 336 feet. Actual distance: Immeasurable joy for Nationals fans.

It was the fourth lead-changing home run in Game 7 history, the first since Willie Stargell of the Pirates against the Orioles in 1979. The Nationals would tack on another run in the eighth and two more in the ninth. Cole never did get in the game. Patrick Corbin would excel in three dominant innings of relief work. The Nationals became just the fifth team in World Series history to overcome a multi-run deficit in the seventh inning or later of Game 7: 1997 Marlins (vs. Indians), 1960 Pirates (vs. Yankees), 1925 Pirates (vs. Senators), 1924 Senators (vs. Giants).

It capped perhaps the most impressive playoff run in the wild-card era: The Nationals' three opponents after beating the Brewers in the wild-card game -- the Dodgers, Cardinals and Astros -- combined for 304 wins, the most ever for a World Series winner since the expanded playoffs began in 1995.

The Astros are a superpower, a team that has three straight seasons of 100-plus wins. But they didn't have superhero Howie in their lineup. The Nationals are champs: 1-0.

Some World Series superlatives:

Best game: Do you need to ask? Game 6 was wild and crazy, but did end up 7-2 in the end. Game 7 goes down as one of the better Game 7s, not just for the upset, but the for late lead, for Scherzer's effort and, most of all, for Rendon and Soto and Kendrick and Corbin and everybody else.

The most simple analysis of all: The Nationals went 10-0 in postseason games started by Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.

Most controversial moment: Trea Turner's runner interference call in the seventh inning of Game 6. The best thing we can say about this: Thank god Rendon hit that home run. Still, while the play ended up not affecting the final score, don't be surprised if we see the Trea Turner Rule enacted this offseason, similar to how baseball has created the Buster Posey Rule (collisions at home plate) and the Chase Utley Rule (slides at second base) in recent seasons.

Best home run trot: Alex Bregman's seventh-inning grand slam off Fernando Rodney in Game 4 that turned a 4-1 Astros lead into an 8-1 blowout. Bregman took 11 steps on his way to first base, admiring his work, before he finally released the bat. It took him 9.43 seconds just to get to first base and 28.71 seconds to completely round the bases -- the longest home run trot of the postseason, ahead of his own 28.47-second trot in Game 2.

Best dunk on you moment: After Bregman carried his bat past first base after his home run off Strasburg in Game 6 -- he later apologized for letting his emotions get the best of him -- Soto then mashed the clutch go-ahead home run in the fifth off Justin Verlander and carried his bat to first base. Love it or hate it -- and Hinch, Martinez and Ryan Zimmerman where those who said they weren't fans of either player's actions -- it provided great theater. Bregman best beware during the first spring training game between the Astros and Nationals, however.

Big at-bat that nobody will remember: Strasburg versus Jose Altuve in Game 6. In the bottom of the fifth after the Eaton and Soto home runs put the Nats ahead, the Astros put runners at second and third with one out after Josh Reddick's bloop single and George Springer's double. With the infield playing back up the middle, all Altuve needed was a ground ball to tie the game or a base hit that might have knocked out Strasburg. Instead, Strasburg struck him out, with Altuve waving weakly at a curveball well off the plate. Strasburg then got Michael Brantley on a grounder and he cruised through the next three innings.

Weirdest, strangest, won't-see-this-again moment: Well, take your pick:

A. The fan who took a home run in the gut while holding a beer in each hand.

B. The whole Baby Shark phenomenon at Nationals Park with adults dressed up in shark costumes.

C. The two "models" who flashed Cole during Game 5.

D. The intentional walk to pitch to potential American League MVP Alex Bregman.

E. Dave Martinez, who had a heart procedure in September, going berserk after the interference call on Turner and telling reporters the next day that a fan behind the dugout was yelling, "Davey! Your heart! Remember your heart!"

F. A certain individual -- other than a player or umpire -- getting booed.

Bottom line: The first five games were largely uneventful, but there were still some odd moments to savor.

Home runs are life: The team that hit the most home runs won all seven games of this World Series. In Game 7, the Nationals hit two, the Astros hit one. The team that hit the most home runs went 27-6 this postseason.

MVP of the postseason: The NHL has the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player of the playoffs. The New York chapter of the baseball writers association actually does give out the Babe Ruth Award for the best player of the postseason -- David Price won last season -- but this should be a bigger deal. There should be a big presentation on the field after the clinching game, just like in the NHL.

Anyway, it has to go to Strasburg, who went 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA over five starts and one relief appearance, finishing with 47 strikeouts and four walks over 36⅓ innings. Outside of Madison Bumgarner's legendary performance in 2014 when he pitched two shutouts, 52⅔ innings and saved Game 7 of the World Series with five scoreless innings, Strasburg's performance probably ranks as the second-best since the expanded playoffs began in 1995. That's with apologies to Cole, who went 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA in a similar 36⅔ innings. The difference, of course, is that Cole lost his Game 1 start while Strasburg won both of his World Series starts.

Have your say and cast your votes for the standout athletes of the past 12 months

Most end-of-year honours are picked by small panels of experts, but the AW athletes of the year awards are chosen by you, the readers.

There are categories that cover the leading British and international athletes, plus sections for under-20 and masters performers.

These accolades are just a bit of fun with no real hardware up for grabs, but what better honour is there than knowing you have impressed the most knowledgeable athletics readership in the world?

Voting closes on Tuesday December 10 with the results published in the December 19 edition of AW magazine. But please note, contenders for British male and female para-athletes of the year will not be included until our November 21 issue due to the fact the World Para Athletics Championships takes place on November 7-15 in Dubai.

CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTES

International female athlete

Salwa Eid Naser: Unbeaten at 400m this season, the Bahraini shocked Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo to win the world title in 48.15 and go third all-time with what was the quickest time for 34 years.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce: The double Olympic champion won the world 100m title in a very fast world-leading 10.71 to just miss her seven-year-old PB. She also won gold in the 4x100m relay and ran 22.22 for 200m.

Sifan Hassan: Enjoyed a sensational 2019, winning an unprecedented 10,000m and 1500m double at the World Championships. The former was with a sub-4min last 1500m and the latter in a European record 3:51.95. Also set a world record in the mile (4:12.33) and 5km road (14:44) and set European records at 3000m (8:18.49) and 5000m (14:22.12), as well as running a 65:45 half-marathon.

Mariya Lasitskene: For once she was not unbeatable at the high jump and ‘only’ won 21 of her 23 competitions, but the Russian landed her third world title with a 2.04m leap and equalled her PB with 2.06m, a height that puts her equal fifth all-time. Also won the European indoor title and bettered two metres on 17 occasions.

Brigid Kosgei: Won all seven of her races in 2019, highlighted by smashing Paula Radcliffe’s world marathon record with 2:14:04 in Chicago. Also ran the world’s fastest ever half-marathon with 64:28 at the Great North Run, won the London Marathon in 2:18:20 and ran the fastest legal half-marathon of 2019 with a 65:28 clocking.

Malaika Mihambo: Having never previously beaten seven metres, the German did it in seven long jump competitions in 2019, peaking with a huge win in the World Championships with a 7.30m leap, which puts her 12th all-time. Her only loss in 14 competitions this year was at the European Indoor Championships, where she was fourth. Improved her 100m speed to 11.21.

Dalilah Muhammad: The Olympic champion first reduced the 400m hurdles world record from 52.34 to 52.20 in winning the US Championships before improving it to 52.16 in winning gold in a great battle with Sydney McLaughlin in the World Championships. She also improved her 400m PB to 50.60 and was in the USA’s 4x400m gold medal-winning team in Doha.

Yulimar Rojas: Went second all-time in the triple jump to close within nine centimetres of the world record with a 15.41m leap at Andujar and then backed that up with a 15.37m leap to retain her World Championships title by a huge margin.

International male athlete

Timothy Cheruiyot: The Kenyan won nine of his 10 competitions in 2019, with the highlight being his superb solo 3:29.26 1500m win in Doha. He tops the world rankings with his 3:28.77 win in Lausanne and also ran a 1:43.11 800m to win the Kenyan Championships, as well as a 3:50.49 mile.

Christian Coleman: Was in the news as much for his missed tests as his sprinting but proved himself athletically with an easy win in the World Championships 100m in a world-leading 9.76. He broke 10 seconds eight times in all his five competitions at 100m and also ran a 19.91 200m. Played a vital role in the USA’s American record 37.10 in winning the 4x100m world title.

Sam Kendricks: Competed 25 times in 2019 and won on 19 occasions but proved his big-time temperament by winning an exciting World Championships with a 5.97m vault. He improved the American record to 6.06m in winning the US Championships to go second all-time outdoors.

Eliud Kipchoge: The Kenyan only competed once in 2019, a course record and then world-leading 2:02:39 in winning at London. However, he made history in a paced non-competitive run in Vienna as he timed a ground-breaking 1:59:41 in the marathon.

Noah Lyles: Won the World Championships 200m in 19.83, having previously run a world-leading 19.50 in Lausanne which places him fourth all-time. He was unbeaten in 200m finals in 2019 but was impressive at 100m, too, winning in Shanghai in 9.86. He also contributed to the USA’s 4x100m winning team in Doha.

Daniel Stahl: The Swedish thrower won 13 of his 16 discus competitions with a top-class average of 69.94m for his best 10 competitions. He took World Championships gold with a modest 67.59m throw to win his first major title at the 13th attempt. His world lead of 71.86m moved him to fifth all-time, which was the longest throw by anyone for 11 years.

Christian Taylor: Triple jumper suffered three defeats in 2019, but again won the event that mattered as he took the world title with a 17.92m leap, his best legal mark of the year as he bettered the world leader Will Claye. He also beat Claye in the Diamond League final with a wind-assisted 17.85m.

Karsten Warholm: Ran 11 meetings in 2019 at 400m and 400m hurdles and won them all. He retained his world 400m hurdles title in Doha after earlier European records of 47.33 in Oslo, 47.12 in London and then 46.92 in Zurich to go second all-time. He also won the European indoor 400m title in a European record-equalling 45.05.

British female athlete

Dina Asher-Smith: Won world 200m gold and 100m silver, breaking her own British records and running European leading times in both (10.83 and 21.88). Also claimed 4x100m silver and won the Diamond League 100m title.

Holly Bradshaw: Finished fourth in the World Championships pole vault final, equalling her second-best ever outdoor height with 4.80m. Claimed European indoor silver and matched her second-best indoor height with 4.81m.

Alyson Dixon: Won the world 50km title on her ultra running debut, also breaking the world record with her time of 3:07:20. Broke the Guinness world record for the fastest superhero to run a half-marathon, clocking 78:26 at the Simplyhealth Great North Run when dressed as Wonder Woman.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson: Gained global gold in the heptathlon, breaking the British record with her world-leading score of 6981 points to move to sixth on the world all-time list. Also claimed the European pentathlon title with a world-leading score.

Eilish McColgan: Broke her mum’s Scottish 10-mile record with 51:38 to retain her Simplyhealth Great South Run title, also moving to second on the UK all-time list behind Paula Radcliffe. Improved her own Scottish 5000m record (14:46.17) to place 10th at the IAAF World Championships.

Sophie McKinna: Threw 18.61m to make the world final, becoming the first Briton to do so since the inaugural championships in 1983. Her mark – which was the longest throw by a British shot putter in 21 years – consolidated her fifth place on the UK all-time list.

Laura Muir: Won double gold at the European Indoor Championships in the 1500m and 3000m. Finished fifth in the 1500m at the IAAF World Championships in her second-fastest ever time despite a calf injury in the build-up.

Laura Weightman: Moved to second on the British 3000m all-time rankings with 8:26.07 at the Prefontaine Classic and finished seventh in the world 5000m in Doha in 14:44.57.

British male athlete

Jonathan Albon: Gold at the World Trail Championships in Portugal in June. He as also excelled in skyrunning and obstacle course racing and runs for Britain in the World Mountain Long Distance Running Championships in Argentina next month.

Mo Farah: Fifth in the London Marathon in 2:05:39 – the second-fastest time ever by a Briton, while in September he won his sixth successive Great North Run title in 59:07 – the fastest time ever by a European.

Adam Gemili: Led the world 200m final coming into the home straight and finished a close fourth in 20.03 before going on to win 4x100m silver in Doha. Also took 200m gold and 100m silver at the British Championships.

Callum Hawkins: After a marathon PB of 2:08:14 for 10th at the London Marathon to go No.3 on the UK all-time rankings, he finished fourth in the World Championships – just six seconds outside a medal – after having been in the lead with a mile to go.

Zharnel Hughes: Ran 9.95 for 100m at the Anniversary Games in London – one of four sub-10 performances in 2019 – and 20.00 for 200m. In the short sprint he was sixth in the world final in Doha.

Nick Miller: Threw 78.39m to rank seventh in the world and was 10th in the World Championships despite a good effort being controversially ruled a foul. Season’s best is second only to his UK record from last year, too.

Jake Wightman: With the men’s 1500m being of a very high standard this year, he set a Scottish record of 3:31.87 when finishing fifth in the world final in Doha despite struggling last winter with injury.

Ben Williams: Huge PB of 17.14m to win the triple jump at the European Team Championships in Bydgoszcz before improving further to 17.27m at the British Championships.

British junior female

Amber Anning: Claimed European under-20 400m silver in 52.18 to move to third on the UK under-20 all-time list and rank fourth on the 2019 senior list. Not since 1982 has a British junior run as quick. Also won 4x400m gold.

Isabelle Boffey: Won the European under-20 800m title, with her PB of 2:02.92 placing her 12th on the UK senior season rankings. Also claimed 4x400m gold.

Keely Hodgkinson: Claimed European under-20 800m bronze in a PB of 2:03.40 and still has two years left in the junior age group.

Amy Hunt: Broke the world under-18 and British under-20 200m record with 22.42 and subsequently won the European under-20 title. Her PB puts her second on the UK senior season rankings.

Lucy-Jane Matthews: Broke the UK under-18 best with 13.38 to claim European under-20 bronze in the 100m hurdles as the youngest athlete in the field.

Holly Mills: Claimed European under-20 long jump bronze and finished fourth in the heptathlon. Her heptathlon best of 5802 points put her third on the senior UK rankings.

British junior male

Max Burgin: Still only 17, the Halifax Harrier set a UK under-20 and European under-18 800m record of 1:45.36. Missed the European Under-20 Championships due to injury but his time ranked him No.6 on the UK senior lists for 2019.

Lewis Byng: Beaten only twice in the shot put all summer when fourth in the British Championships and eighth at the European Under-20 Championships. Also moved into No.2 on the UK all-time under-20 rankings with 19.14m with the 6kg shot.

Alastair Chalmers: Improved his UK under-20 400m hurdles record to 50.07 in Geneva. Went into the European Under-20 Championships at hot favourite but was disqualified for running outside his lane in the semi-final. Fourth in the British senior champs.

Oliver Dustin: Led the British sweep of the medals in the European under-20 800m final in Sweden as he beat Ben Pattison
and Finley Mclear to the title. His PB of 1:46.84 places him 14th in the UK senior rankings for 2019, too.

James Tomlinson: Discus thrower was fifth at the European Under-20 Championships and runner-up at the Halle throws meeting and Mannheim junior international. PBs of 53.13m (2kg) and 61.64m (1.75kg) put the 19-year-old into the UK all-time junior top 10.

Joshua Zeller: Unbeaten all year, the 18-year-old won the European under-20 110m hurdles title and went to No.2 on the UK all- time under-20 rankings with 13.26 in Mannheim.

British masters female

Angela Copson: Uniquely won W70 world masters titles at 400m, 3000m, cross-country and 10km in Toruń, though did suffer rare losses at 800m and 1500m. At the European Masters her one gold came at 800m. She won the Westminster Mile in a world record 6:30 (6:27 on chip) which scored 106.42% on the age-graded tables.

Clare Elms: Set W55 world indoor marks at 800m, 1500m, mile and 3000m, world outdoor marks at 1500m (4:46.64) and mile (5:10.35) and world bests on the road at mile (5:09), 5km (17:39) and five-mile (29:05). Also set UK outdoor records at 800m (2:22.38), 3000m (10:11.24) and 5000m (17:42.99). Won four golds (1500m, 3000m, cross-country and XC team) in the world indoors in Poland and six golds (1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, cross-country, 10km and XC team) at the European Masters in Italy.

Irie Hill: New to the W50 age group, having dominated masters pole vaulting for 15 years, the German-based vaulter won the world indoor and European outdoor title and also set world age-group records indoors (3.51m) and out (3.46m) Also won the BMAF indoor title in the high jump.

Jane Horder: In her third year in the W60 age group, won the world masters indoor title at 60m hurdles and then three golds at the European Masters at 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles and 4x400m relay. She also won a British indoor title over 60m and topped the W60 400m rankings for the year from her fourth place in the World Indoors.

Caroline Powell: Made a notable debut in the W65 age group this year, winning the world indoor 60m title and silvers at 200m and 400m. Also won five golds at the European Masters, including titles at 100m, 200m and 400m, the latter in a European record 68.67.

Evaun Williams: One of Britain’s greatest ever masters throwers continued her dominance, winning three W80 throws at the World Masters Championships at Toruń (hammer, javelin and weight) and then five titles at the European Masters Championships in the shot, hammer, discus and javelin and the weights pentathlon. She won all 18 of her competitions in 2019.

British masters male

Donald Brown: Won the world masters indoor 60m hurdles title and also picked up a bronze in the 60m. Raced over 50 times in 2019 and nine of those races came at the European Masters in Italy as an M55. He won the 100m, 100m hurdles (in a British record 14.62) and the 200m, as well as running a storming 4x100m anchor leg where he came from well back to snatch a silver for Britain.

Mike Coogan: Focused almost exclusively on the 200m, in which he won the M45 world masters indoor title (and also ran the fastest M45 time in the world indoors of 22.80). He then won the European masters title and contributed to the winning 4x100m team.

Paul Fletcher: Third in the world masters M60 indoor 1500m before winning three golds at the European Masters with an unusual treble at 1500m, 10,000m and 800m. The latter was the race of the championships, where he came from well back to snatch victory on the line from fellow Brit Keith McGhie in a vet PB 2:15.22. Also won the Westminster Mile and BMAF title in 5:10 to go second all-time among Brits.

Steve Peters: Probably Britain’s greatest ever masters athlete was only able to compete at two meetings in 2019. However, at the European Masters he won five M65 golds including the 100m, 200m, 400m (UK record 59.05) and was in Britain’s winning relay teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m.

Ian Richards: The former Olympic 50km walker dominated his M70 age group winning the world masters 5km walk and
then taking European titles in the 5000m track walk, 10km and 20km as well as two team titles. His toughest opponents were often the judges as he was disqualified from the British masters 3000m indoor and outdoor championships as well as the world masters 10km.

John Wright: Moved into the M60 category in June and made an immediate impact, winning triple sprint gold in the European Masters. He took the 400m in a superb 55.13 to win by almost four seconds and break Steve Peters’ UK record. It was the fastest in the world by over two seconds. Wright also won the 200m in 24.58, a second quicker than anyone else in the world.

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Contenders for British male and female para-athletes of the year will be included in our November 21 issue due to the fact the World Para Athletics Championships takes place on November 7-15 in Dubai.

Photos by Mark Shearman, Tom Phillips & Skyrunning

Teenager’s win means last four are all Egyptian
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Egyptian World Junior Champion Hania El Hammamy claimed the biggest win of her career to date as she completed a stunning comeback from two games down to upset World No.4 Camille Serme at the foot of the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza – meaning she will appear in the semi-finals of the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship for the first time in her career.

The 19-year-old El Hammamy – who was crowned World Junior Champion in August – was appearing in her maiden senior World Championship quarter-final and initially found it difficult against the intensity of her opponent, with Serme stepping up the court and attacking at the front of the court to go two games ahead.

But the French player lost her attacking game in the third and El Hammamy came out firing on all cylinders, giving it everything in her arsenal, taking that game and the fourth to draw level. A shellshocked Serme went 5-1 down in the decider, but fought back from the brink to level at 9-9.

A stroke then put El Hammamy match ball up, and she followed that up with a perfect forehand drive in the next rally to book her spot in the last four of the most prestigious tournament on the women’s tour.

“I’m over the moon, I can’t believe that I was 2-0 down, I thought I’d lost but I wanted to keep fighting and enjoy it,” El Hammamy said afterwards.

“I’m playing in the quarters, which is an achievement for me, and I wanted to keep fighting, even if I lost. I think when I never gave up, that was the key, and I played the best squash I had in the last three games.

“I wanted to win so bad, I was so excited in the beginning, I didn’t really focus on my game plan or what my coaches told me. When I was 2-0 down, I thought I need to keep focusing on what they said and I’m glad it worked. I have my grandma here with me, and every time she is here I make her upset. She was here with me at Black Ball when I beat Nour El Tayeb, so I think she is my lucky person.”

Defending champion El Sherbini (pictured) will be El Hammamy’s semi-final opponent after she moved to within one win of a sixth World Championship title decider courtesy of an 11-7, 11-9, 13-11 victory over New Zealand’s Joelle King, meaning all four semi-final spots will be taken up by Egyptian players.

El Sherbini is appearing at her first tournament of the season after a knee injury forced her to pull out of both the Oracle NetSuite Open and U.S. Open, but the three-time World Champion has dominated her opponent’s so far in Cairo, claiming four successive victories without dropping a game.

“I’m back into the semis in my first tournament back,” said El Sherbini, who celebrates her 24th birthday on the day of the final.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on myself, I just want to enjoy my squash and the atmosphere and the crowd gives me the support and I’m going to take it as an advantage. It’s really good that we have a tournament here in Egypt, so that young juniors can come and watch, and hopefully they can learn and we can see them in the future.”

 Makin makes it through to his first Platinum semi-final

Welshman Joel Makin has reached his first PSA Platinum semi-final after overcoming French giant-killer Baptiste Masotti 11-3, 12-14, 11-8, 11-2 in the men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open, which is taking place alongside the women’s tournament at the Pyramids.

Masotti was appearing in the quarter-finals of a Platinum event for the first time after successive upsets against former top five players Borja Golan and Miguel Rodriguez, while he also upset Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng to earn his place on the glass court in front of the Pyramids.

He looked overawed by the occasion in the opening stages, taking just three points as he went a game down, but he struck back to take the second on the tie-break, and put the World No.12 under serious pressure in the third with some impressive shot-making.

However, Makin’s experience saw him over the line in the third, and that seemed to drain his opponent’s confidence, with a comfortable fourth game victory seeing Makin advance to the last four.

“He was attacking freely and going in short and the ball was quite dead,” said Makin.

“Credit to him in the middle, the first two games he was clinical in the middle. The third game was crucial, I had to get the length across the backhand, and once I did that it took the middle away and I had a few more chances.”

World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad will play Makin in the semis after beating World No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy 4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 to continue his 100 per cent record in front of the Pyramids.

He became the first man in a decade to win a trophy in front of the iconic landmark when he beat current World No.1 Ali Farag to win the 2016 Al Ahram Open, and he will look to make it back-to-back finals when he takes on Makin next.

“I had to take care of every shot and in the first game I couldn’t even get past him in the middle, so I had to focus on that and put him in the back corners and attack from the middle a little bit more,” said 28-year-old Gawad (pictured).

“I’m really happy to get through to the semi-finals at my favourite tournament ever. I love playing in my home country and in front of the audience here.

“You get a lot of support here, and I feel like I’m just practicing, driving to the venue and then going back home, so I feel like it’s just practice and not a tournament.”

The semi-finals take place on Thursday October 31, with play getting under way at 18:30 (GMT+2). Action will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian subcontinent). 

2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship ($340k), Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.

Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half):
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [6] Joelle King (NZL) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 13-11 (38m)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [3] Camille Serme (FRA) 3-2: 7-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (69m)

Semi-Finals:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [4] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 

2019 CIB Egyptian Squash Open.

Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half):
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-1: 4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (68m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 3-1: 11-3, 12-14, 11-8, 11-2 (57m)

Semi-Finals:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [5] Paul Coll (NZL)
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Joel Makin (WAL) 

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA