Rebecca Adlington and Mo Farah lead British Olympic Association's Olympic Athlete of the Year award winners

The gongs, which were introduced in 2005, are given to the top-performing athlete of the year in each of the 33 summer and winter Olympic sports.

Olympic swimming heroine Adlington repeated her Beijing success by taking double Commonwealth gold in Delhi in October, while she also won the 400 metres freestyle at the European Championships.

Adlington pipped diver Tom Daley, who also won two golds at the Commonwealth Games, and other leading names in swimming such as Fran Halsall and Hannah Miley to win the aquatics award.

She said: ''I'm proud and honoured to have won this award in 2010, given the achievements of so many British swimmers at both the European Championships and Commonwealth Games.''

In athletics, Farah was picked ahead of heptathlon number one Jessica Ennis after his emotional double over 5,000m and 10,000m at the European Championships in Barcelona.

The cycling award went to a road athlete, with Emma Pooley rewarded for a stunning year capped by victory in the women's time trial at the World Championship.

Beth Tweddle proved her class in gymnastics once again by reclaiming her world title on the uneven bars and collecting two golds at European level, on the bars and floor.

The 25-year-old said: ''I'm really happy to win this award, in what has been a outstanding year for British Gymnastics. Becoming world champion for the third time in my career in 2010 has given me great confidence towards my aim of reaching the podium at the London 2012 Olympic Games.''

Other notable winners included equestrian star Laura Bechtolsheimer, hockey player Helen Richardson, Youth Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones and world under-23 triathlon champion Jonny Brownlee.

Leading the winter sports list was Winter Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams, whose performance in the skeleton in Whistler saw her become the first individual British champion for 30 years.

The 28-year-old said: ''I'm delighted to receive the BOA Olympic Athlete of the Year award. This caps a really special year for me.''

Olympic Athlete of the Year award winners:

Aquatics - Rebecca Adlington

Archery - Alison Williamson

Athletics - Mo Farah

Badminton - Rajiv Ouseph

Basketball - Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Boxing - Tom Stalker

Canoeing - Ed McKeever

Cycling - Emma Pooley

Equestrian - Laura Bechtolsheimer

Fencing - Chrystall Nicoll

Gymnastics - Beth Tweddle

Handball - Holly Lam-Moores

Hockey - Helen Richardson

Judo - Euan Burton

Modern Pentathlon - Sam Weale

Sailing - Ed Wright

Shooting - Elena Allen

Table Tennis - Liam Pitchford

Taekwondo - Jade Jones

Tennis - Andy Murray

Triathlon - Jonathan Brownlee

Volleyball - Nathan French

Weightlifting - Peter Kirkbride

Wrestling - Myroslav Dykun

Biathlon - Lee-Steve Jackson

Bobsleigh/Skeleton - Amy Williams

Curling - Eve Muirhead

Luge - AJ Rosen

Skating - Sinead and John Kerr

Skiing - Andrew Musgrave

*Ice hockey, football and rowing are yet to announce their Olympic Athlete of the Year for 2010.

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