Johnson-Thompson was chosen in voting by members of the BAWA ahead of world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith and European indoor 1500m and 3000m champion Laura Muir.

Johnson-Thompson was chosen in voting by members of the BAWA ahead of world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith and European indoor 1500m and 3000m champion Laura Muir.

After winning the European indoor pentathlon title in Glasgow for a second time, Johnson-Thompson stood on top of the podium for the second time in 2019 with gold in the heptathlon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, surpassing Jessica Ennis-Hill's British record with 6981 points. Johnson-Thompson also won the prestigious Gotzis Hypo-Meeting in May.

On the men's side, world 200m fourth-placer Adam Gemili finished just ahead of Callum Hawkins, who finished fourth in the marathon Doha, in the voting with hammer thrower Nick Miller and past winner Mo Farah sharing third place.

Gemili just missed out on an individual medal in Doha but he was part of the British 4x100m relay team to win silver behind the United States at the Khalifa International Stadium in a European record of 37.36.

Double European U20 champion Amy Hunt and Max Burgin, the European U20 800m record-holder, were crowned Junior Athletes of the Year.

The Vikki Orvice Inspiration Award, which was newly re-named in honour of The Sun's much-respected athletics and football writer who died of cancer earlier this year, was presented to sprinter James Ellington for his battle back from serious injuries sustained in a motorbike accident in January 2017 to return to competition this summer.