Topić obtained 33 per cent of the votes to secure victory in Ancient Olympia as she edged out British diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix who polled 31 per cent.

Her triumph was announced at a Gala Dinner which EOC members attended following the opening day of the organisation’s annual Seminar.

The 17-year-old is already ranked among the top 20 high jumpers in the world.

She underlined her burgeoning talent this year by becoming the youngest ever medallist in the history of the European Championships when she claimed women’s high jump event in Munich.

The Belgrade-born athlete also set a world under-18 record, adding to her national records in both under-18 and under-20 age-group levels in pentathlon.

"I would like to make history in high jump and become one of the greatest ever," said Topić who collected the trophy along with a €15,000 (£13,200/$14,700) training scholarship.

"Both my parents are Olympians, so I had no choice but to be raised with the Olympic values at home from a young age.

"Winning this award is a dream come true.

"It has given me extra motivation to train hard and inspire other young athletes to achieve their dreams."

Spendolini-Sirieix, who claimed two gold medals at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, achieved a €8,000 (£7,000/$7,800) training scholarship.

Italian swimmer Filippo Bertoni picked up €5,000 (£4,400/$4,900), while Greek rower Sofia Dalidou and Israeli rhythmic gymnast Daria Atamanov each earned €3,000 (£2,600/$2,900) after coming fourth and fifth respectively.

The award is named after Nurowski, the former President of the Polish Olympic Committee, who died in 2010 in a plane crash in Russia.

The EOC created the summer award in his honour in the same year and introduced a winter prize in 2016.