Hoare claimed the highest honour of the awards after his memorable performance at Birmingham 2022, where he signed his name in history alongside the great Herb Elliott as the only Australians to win the Commonwealth 1500 metres or mile title, with one of the greatest performances in the country’s running history.

Hoare was in fourth position as the field came around the bend but powered down the straight to stop the clock in 3min 30.12sec, edging out Kenya’s 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot and reigning world champion Jake Wightman from Scotland.

His time broke the Commonwealth Games record of 3:32.16, which was a world record at the time it was set by Tanzania’s Filbert Bayi at Christchurch in 1974.

"When I look back on that performance, it’s still so surreal to me,” Hoare said.

"To have achieved gold and to be part of the legacy in the 1500m in Australia means a lot and I’ve been looking back on it fondly.

"To be able to say I ran a Commonwealth Games championship and won gold like Herb Elliott did, and then with Bruce [McAvaney] commentating it is amazing.

"I can’t stress enough how lucky I feel to have done it for Australia.

"It’s a moment I will always look back on and treasure."

The Colorado-based athlete said it is also an honour to have been the pick of McAvaney, an Australian sports broadcaster with the Seven Network, who has covered every Olympic Games since Moscow 1980.

"Winning this award tells me I have the ability to hopefully progress in the event, and now looking ahead to Paris 2024, and before that the next World Championships and the Commonwealth Games," the 26-year-old from Sydney said.

"I have big goals.

"I know that if I can perform well there, I can perform well on any stage.

"What Bruce has done for Australian sport is incredible and I can’t feel anymore honoured to have won this.

"To have him recognise me is hard to put into words, and I feel lucky to have been able to celebrate that moment in time with him."

McAvaney admitted this year’s decision was a difficult one, especially as Eleanor Patterson won the gold medal in the women’s high jump at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene but concluded that Hoare’s performance would be forever etched into his memory.

"It was pretty tricky," the 69-year-old McAvaney said.

"When you think about it, there were two Australian records in the marathon; one by Sinead Diver in Spain and one by Brett Robinson over in Japan and then the great performances of both the World Athletics Championships and also the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

"All of our Para and able-bodied athletes, I had to throw them up there.

"It really came down to Eleanor Patterson and Olli Hoare and in the end, I went for Olli.

"That 1500m was just unbelievable.

"He broke the Commonwealth Games record that stood for so long. 

"It was from Filbert Bayi and at the time, it was a world record.

"The top six were under it. 

"Eight of the top 11 ran a personal best and Ollie went from third to first on the home straight.

"I’ll never forget it… Olli, it’s all yours."

Hoare was also honoured with the John Landy Award for Able Bodied Male Athlete of the Year having become the Oceania record holder in the indoor mile, when winning the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in New York City.

He had also lowered the Australian outdoor mile record to 3:47.48 at the Bislett Games later in the year.

In 2022, Hoare also placed fifth at the World Athletics Indoor Championships and reached the semi final in the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

Alongside Hoare, back-to-back world champion Kelsey Lee Barber claimed the crown for Able Bodied Female Athlete of the Year when winning the Marjorie Jackson Award.

Barber became the first woman in athletics history to win consecutive javelin titles at the World Athletics Championships.

Paralympic stalwart Evan O’Hanlon won the Russell Short Awards for Male Para Athletes of the Year after proving he is truly evergreen when claiming the Commonwealth Games 100m T37/38 title in the 18th year of his representative career.