Cavendish took the top men's trophy after a stunning year that saw the 26-year-old sprint star from the Isle of Man become world champion in the road race and take the prestigious green jersey in the Tour de France.

The 5,000 metres world champion Mo Farah and US Open golf champion Rory McIlroy were runners-up in the men's category.

Meanwhile, Adlington took the top women's award after the 22-year-old from Mansfield claimed victory in the 800m freestyle at 2011 Swimming World Championships in Shanghai earlier this year.

World champion triathlete Helen Jenkins and jockey Hayley Turner were runners-up to Adlington.

England's Ashes-retaining men's cricket team, who reached number one in the world during 2011, were runaway winners in the Team of the Year category, where Europe's Solheim Cup -winning women golfers and world champion rowers Kath Grainger and Anna Watkins were runners-up.

Elsewhere, the Pat Besford Award for an Outstanding Performance went to Chrissie Wellington, who became ironman triathlon world champion for a fourth time and who earlier in the year broke her own world record.


Sarah Stevenson (pictured with BOA chair Colin Moynihan), who went to South Korea and won a World Championship title in taekwondo, was presented with the SJA Committee Award.

The Peter Wilson Trophy for the year's Best International Newcomer was won by 20-year-old golfer Tom Lewis, whose first round 65 in the Open Championship at Royal St George's was a record score for an amateur.

Meanwhile, The Bill McGowran Trophy, the world's oldest annual award to recognise the achievement of an athlete with a disability, went to wheelchair tennis world number one Peter Norfolk.

Athletics coach Malcolm Arnold, who has been training Olympic and world champion hurdlers for 40 years, received the JL Manning Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Sport from Dai Greene, the Welshman he has guided to European, Commonwealth and world titles at 400m hurdles.

Another coach, England cricket team director Andy Flower, was the recipient of Sir Michael Parkinson's President's Award, while Alison Nicholas, the captain of Europe's Solheim Cup golf team, was awarded the Spirit of Sport Trophy.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]