Payne and Farah top awards

World champions Mo Farah and Keri-Anne Payne head the list of 37 winners of BOA athletes of the year.

Champion swimmer and athlete head list of BOA award winners

World champions Mo Farah and Keri-Anne Payne head the list of 37 winners named as their sport's Athlete of the Year by the named British Olympic Association. World 5,000m champion Farah and 10km open water winner Payne have been named as the Olympic Athlete of the Year in athletics and aquatics. The BOA brought in the awards in 2005 to celebrate their centenary year as well as London being awarded the 2012 Games. Farah, who was also second in the 10,000m in Daegu in August, and Payne - the first British athlete to qualify for London by winning the world title in Shanghai in July - are joined by the likes of cyclist Geraint Thomas, world triathlon champions Helen Jenkins and Alistair Brownlee and Jamie Cooke, the world junior modern pentathlon champion. World number four tennis player Andy Murray and European bronze medallist gymnast Daniel Purvis also feature on the list, although rowing, sailing and football have yet to name their athlete of the year.

Icing on the cake

Payne said: "Following a successful World Championships for the British team in July, it's an honour to be recognised for the BOA Olympic Athlete of the Year award. It's the icing on the cake of a fantastic year." Andy Hunt, Team GB chef de mission and chief executive of the BOA added: "British sportsmen and women have produced some truly outstanding performances throughout 2011, winning no less than 50 medals in Olympic disciplines at World Championships. "While traditionally strong sports such as rowing, sailing and cycling have continued to deliver world leading results, it was exciting to see our boxing, triathlon and taekwondo squads achieve their best ever medal hauls in 2011. "During the test events this year I saw first-hand the inspirational impact of the home crowd support on British athletes. This was perhaps most clearly demonstrated by the memorable silver medal won by Imogen Bankier and Chris Adcock in the Badminton World Championships at Wembley. This bodes well for next summer when the whole of the UK can play their part in helping Team GB - Our Greatest Team to achieve something special. "The past 12 months were full of fantastic achievements by British athletes such as Mo Farah, Helen Jenkins and Alastair Brownlee, but for me personally, the highlight was witnessing Keri-Anne Payne cross the line to win the open water swimming World Championship in China. It was a privilege to observe such a tremendous display of mental and physical strength and endurance. "The Olympic Athlete of the Year award celebrates the excellence of athletes who represent the very best of British talent in their respective Olympic sports. I wish all the award winners the very best as they enter the home straight of their preparations for London 2012, or continue their journey towards Sochi 2014." Olympic Athletes of the Year Aquatics - Keri-Anne Payne
Archery - Larry Godfrey
Athletics - Mo Farah
Badminton - Imogen Bankier & Chris Adcock
Basketball - Julie Page
Boxing - Andrew Selby
Canoeing - Jon Schofield & Liam Heath
Cycling - Geraint Thomas
Equestrian - Carl Hester
Fencing - Corinna Lawrence
Gymnastics - Daniel Purvis
Handball - Steven Larsson
Hockey - Laura Bartlett
Judo - Colin Oates
Modern Pentathlon - Jamie Cooke
Shooting - Peter Wilson
Table Tennis - Liam Pitchford
Taekwondo - Martin Stamper
Tennis - Andy Murray
Triathlon - Helen Jenkins & Alistair Brownlee
Volleyball - Dami Bakare
Weighlifting - Sonny Webster
Wrestling - Olga Butkeyvch