De Groot claimed gold in both the women's singles and doubles - the latter with Aniek van Koot - at the Paralympics.

De Groot won the prize for the best female athlete.

"It was very special," De Groot said of Tokyo 2020.

"Looking back at it, when I stood on the podium and the medals were brought in, I saw the medal on the plate and I was like, 'Oh, it's mine, that's officially mine.'

"I am very proud to be a double Paralympic champion."

De Groot also won a "Golden Slam" in 2021 - adding all four Grand Slam singles titles to the Paralympic gold medal.

Hug set a world record in the men's T54 1500 metres and a Paralympic record in the 5,000m, winning gold medals in those events as well as the 800m and the marathon.

"I just want to say thank you for this award," said Hug after earning the top men's honour.

"For me it's a great honour, it was just an incredible year for me with the Paralympics in Tokyo which were amazing.

"It was a very difficult year with COVID-19, but it was a big extra effort this year to make all these events possible, so thank you."

The British wheelchair rugby took the team prize, having won their first gold medal at world or Paralympic level at Tokyo 2020.

Indian shooter Avani Lekhara and Czech Boccia player Adam Peška were respectively awarded the best female and male debutant accolades.

Germany's Anja Hirschmüller was feted as the best official for helping to save the life of Belgian tennis player Joachim Gérard at the Games, following his cardiac arrest.

Hirschmüller was the lead medical official for the German team at Tokyo 2020.

Finally, the Russian Paralympic Committee's (RPC) Viktoriya Potapova was given the courage award.

Potapova, a judoka with a visual impairment, was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 which led to operations to remove her upper jaw, some of the bones in the nose and a part of an eye socket.

The RPC competitor defeated cancer and won another bronze medal in the women's under-48 kilograms category, following on from successive bronzes between 2004 and 2012.