Big Shots for January 27, 2009

Anxious for the latest installment of the best sports photography in the world? No Sweat! This week's Big Shots journey takes us, among other locales, Down Under for both the Australian Open tennis championships and cycling's Tour Down Under. We also visit the X Games in Colorado, take in amateur hockey outdoors in Kazakhstan, and witness an underground marathon in Germany. ( 28 photos total)

Gael Monfils (left photo) of France pauses during his match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia January 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to a play against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden on January 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Skaters race down the Red Bull Crashed Ice 2009 course in Quebec, January 24, 2009. The event sends skaters down an urban course with banked turns, jumps, and vertical drops.(ROGERIO BARBOSA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Tucker Hibbert, bottom right, led the pack of 15 snowmobiles during the SnoCross competition at the Winter X Games 13 at Buttermilk Ski Area in Colorado January 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow) #

Kazakh men play ice hockey outdoors on a frozen lake not far from the village of Chayek on January 25, 2009 during the open amateur national championship. (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images) #

Dogs speed along the course during the Sedivackuv Long dog sled race in Destne, January 23, 2009. Each year racers from all over Europe arrive to the village of Destne in the Orlicke mountains in the Czech Republic to take part in this race series. (REUTERS/Petr Josek) #

Swimmers prepare to participate in the opening ceremony of the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido in London January 24, 2009. (REUTERS/Kieran Doherty) #

Allan Davis of Australia, riding for Team Quick Step, gets kissed by the podium girls after being awarded the ocher jersey for being the overall leader following stage five of the 2009 Tour Down Under January 24, 2009 in Adelaide, Australia. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) #

Painted fans pose for a portrait at the Australian Open Tennis Championship in Melbourne, Australia on January 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill) #

Jelena Dokic of Australia plays a return stroke during her women's singles match against Alisa Kleybanova of Russia at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 25, 2009. (TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images) #

A swimmer competes in the relay race during the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido in London January 24, 2009. (REUTERS/Kieran Doherty) #

Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia jokes around with one of his crew members after practice for the Rolex 24 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida January 22, 2009. (AP Photo/John Raoux) #

The Pontiac/Riley driven by Jon Fogarty, Alex Gurney, Jimmie Johnson, and Jimmy Vasser races during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 24, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) #

Competitors in the "10th Underground Marathon" run through Hamburg's old tunnel under the river Elbe January 25, 2009. The tunnel was built in 1911 to connect Hamburg's city centre with the port territory and its shipyards and docks. (REUTERS/Christian Charisius) #

Georgia Tech head coach MaChelle Joesph, lower right, hugs assistant coach Sytia Messer as her team celebrates after defeating No. 2 North Carolina 66-62 January 22, 2009 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) #

The Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, right, battles the Dallas Mavericks' Erick Dampier for a rebound as teammates Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo, top, close in during the second half of Boston's 124-100 win in Boston January 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson) #

The New Jersey Nets' Vince Carter battles for the ball with the New Orleans Hornets' Melvin Ely during a game in New Orleans on January 21, 2009. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images) #

Poland's Michal Jurecki elevates during a World Handball Championship match in Zadar, Croatia on January 24, 2009. (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images) #

Inter Milan's Adriano shoots against Sampdoria during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the San Siro stadium in Milan January 25, 2009. (REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo) #

Czech Nella Simaova performs her short program at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki on January 23, 2009, during the European Figure Skating Championships. (YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images) #

Switzerland's Daniel Albrecht crashes on the Streif slope during practice for the Alpine Skiing World Cup downhill race in Kitzbuehel January 22, 2009. Seriously injured, Albrecht was being kept in an induced coma to facilitate healing. Doctors expect him to make a complete recovery. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger #

Daron Rahlves, right, and Brian Bennett race during the Men's Skier X semi-finals at Winter X Games on Buttermilk Mountain on January 25, 2009 in Aspen, Colorado. (Jonathan Moore/Getty Images) #

Kimmy Fasani of Mammoth Lakes, California goes airborne as she finished sixth in the Women's Snowboard Slopestyle at Winter X Games 13 on Buttermilk Mountain on January 24, 2009 in Aspen, Colorado. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) #

Joe Parsons of Yakima, Washington wins the gold medal in the Snowmobile Freestyle at Winter X Games 13 on Buttermilk Mountain on January 25, 2009 in Aspen, Colorado. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) #

Xavier Bertoni of La Clusaz, France practices for the Men's Skiing Superpipe at Winter X Games 13 on Buttermilk Mountain on January 22, 2009 in Aspen, Colorado. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) #

Pepe Ribes holds hard while Xabier Fernandez tries to go to windward as Telefonica Blue takes a battering in heavy storms January 24 on leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Singapore to Qingdao, China. (GABRIELE OLIVO/AFP/Getty Images) #

Cyprus' Marcos Baghdatis returns to Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 25, 2009. (REUTERS/Darren Whiteside) #

Detroit Tigers mascot Paws high-fives Safwaan Khan, 5, during the baseball team's winter caravan visit to the Detroit Medical Center Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit January 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) #

Former child-star actor Danny Bonaduce warms up for a celebrity boxing match against former baseball player Jose Canseco in Aston, Pennsylvania on January 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek) #

Sports

Big Shots for January 27, 2009