Naomi Osaka, Robert Lewandowski and Bayern Munich named AIPS Champions of 2020 with votes from 116 countries.

  By Omolagba Oluwayemi Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka and Polish striker Robert Lewandowski have been named the AIPS Best Athletes of 2020, BSNsports.com.ng reports. Bayern Munich won the AIPS Best Team of 2020 after breaking a plethora of records en route to winning five trophies. This is the result of a poll by the International Sport Press Association (AIPS), where a panel of 422 journalists from 116 countries voted for the Champions of 2020. It is the first time that Lewandowski and Osaka are winning the prestigious accolade which attracts votes from a vast network of professionals across the world annually. Bayern Munich goal machine Lewandowski garnered 620 points, enough to see off British seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton on 546 points and Spanish 20-time tennis Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal in third with 378 points. Three-time Grand Slam champion Osaka topped the AIPS poll for Best Female Athlete with 526 points ahead of Venezuelan triple jump world indoor record-holder Yulimar Rojas (331 points) and American tennis legend Serena Williams, who won her 73rd WTA title at the 2020 ASB Classic, in third with 327 points. Bayern Munich, six-time UEFA Champions League winners, were dominant in the Best Team poll, receiving a total of 1317 points, followed by reigning Premier League champions Liverpool with 753 points, while 2020 NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers had to settle for third place with 658 points. BEST MALE ATHLETE – TOP TEN 1 - Lewandowski Robert - Football 620 (16,32%) 2 - Hamilton Lewis - Formula1 - 546 (14,38%) 3 - Nadal Rafael – Tennis - 378 (9,95%) 4 - James LeBron - Basketball - 361 (9,51%) 5 - Duplantis Armand – Athletics - 347 (9,14%) 6 - Ronaldo Cristiano - Football - 300 (7,9%) 7 - Djokovic Novak - Tennis - 280 (7,37%) 8 - Cheptegei Joshua – Athletics - 181 (4,77%) 9 - Pogačar Tadej - Cycling - 179 (4,71%) 10 - Thiem Dominic - Tennis - 104 (2,74%) BEST FEMALE ATHLETE – TOP TEN 1 - Osaka Naomi - Tennis - 526 (13,85%) 2 - Rojas Yulimar - Athletics - 331 (8,72%) 3 - Williams Serena - Tennis - 327 (8,61%) 4 - Świątek Iga - Tennis - 310 (8,16%) 5 - Brignone Federica - Alpine ski - 245 (6,45%) 6 - Miedema Vivianne – Football - 211 (5,56%) 7 - Gidey Letesenbet - Athletics - 200 (5,27%) 8 - Jepchirchir Peres – Athletics - 186 (4,9%) 9 - Hassan Sifan – Athletics - 182 (4,79%) 10 - Shiffrin Mikaela - Alpine ski - 162 (4,27%). BEST TEAM - TOP TEN 1 - FC Bayern Munich - Football - 1317 (34,68%) 2 - Liverpool F.C. - Football - 753 (19,83%) 3 - Los Angeles Lakers – Basketball - 658 (17,32%) 4 - Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team - Formula 1 - 436 (11,48%) 5 - Spanish National Handball Team – Handball - 140 (3,69%) 6 - Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic - Tennis - 129 (3,4%) 7 - Norway Biathlon Team (Female) – Biathlon - 107 (2,82%) 8 - Swiss Alpine Ski National Team - Alpine ski - 84 (2,21%) 9 - Norway Biathlon Team (Male) - Biathlon - 70 (1,84%) 10 - German Eight - Rowing - 48 (1,26%). Alongside Lewandowski, , Osaka and Bayern Munich, Flick was also named the 2019/2020 UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year.