2005 Zara Phillips

As the daughter of Olympic equestrians, Zara Phillips was recognised for her European achievements in an outstanding year, success she would take to a world level 12 months later. The daughter of the Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips, she overcame dreadful conditions to ride Toytown to individual glory in the European Eventing Championships at Blenheim and then help Britain defend the team title. At 24, she was the youngest member of the squad, but she revealed she was never pressured into taking the same route as her parents. She said: “It comes down to being competitive, which is what drives me. Yes, I fell into the sport through my parents — my brother and I rode because there were horses around — but while everyone says, ‘It’s the pressure of your parents doing so well, blah, blah’, they never pressured me to ride.”

She praised the chestnut gelding she partnered to glory and revealed how tricky a character he could be. “He’s a pain because he thinks he’s the ultimate, the best person in the world,” she said. “When he was injured (in 2004) he was a nightmare, an absolute nightmare. He was on box rest and resented it; when you took him out, he just reared and behaved like a complete freak. But that’s because he loves what he does and knows he’s very good at it.”

2004 Kelly Holmes

In the weeks leading up to the Olympic Games in Athens, Kelly Holmes sat in the main stand at Birmingham’s Alexander stadium chatting about her fears and doubts that she would make an impact in Greece. Never in her wildest dreams could she have expected what would follow. Holmes, who had won Olympic 800m bronze four years earlier in Sydney, overcame the pain of injury and heartbreak to become Britain’s greatest track and field athlete.

In a momentous five days, Holmes won the middle-distance double, battling her way to glory in the 800m before delivering a controlled performance to win the 1500m. It was the first occasion since Albert Hill in Antwerp in 1920 that a Briton had won both these events at the same Olympics and Holmes became, arguably, the most famous person in the country. Over 80,000 people turned out for her open-top bus parade from her home in the Kent village of Hildenborough to Tonbridge.

She said: “Finally after 20 years, having seven out of nine years injured, I have my dream — not once but twice. It was so difficult to believe what was happening. Seb Coe is my hero. He was presenting my 800m gold medal and beforehand, he untied the laces on my spikes so I could change.” At the end of the year, she was made a Dame.

2003 Pippa Funnell

Pippa Funnell won our award after a season that the sport of three-day eventing had never witnessed before. The extraordinary rider, who originates from East Sussex, became the first person to complete the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing by winning at Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley. Her grand slam success earned her a £165,000 bonus and a gold Rolex watch with her final victory arriving as she beat Zara Phillips to glory at Burghley in a dramatic conclusion. Funnell, riding Primmore’s Pride, was second but produced a clear round in the showjumping as Phillips knocked a fence down.

“I never want to go through that again,” said Funnell. “It is really special to win three in a year and it is not just the money. There is pride in the horses, who have never let me down. I owe everything to my horses.” And there was further at Punchestown, Ireland, when she helped the British team of Jeanette Brakewell, Leslie Law and William Fox-Pitt to the European three-day event championships. As she collected our award, she said: “I just feel so privileged. Getting this recognition outside your sport makes it special.” She will now aim for more triumph at the Beijing Olympics next summer, having won individual bronze and team silver in Athens in 2004 and team silver in Sydney in 2000.

2002 Paula Radcliffe

On countless occasions on the track, from Olympic Games to world championships, Paula Radcliffe had been the “nearly girl”, missing out on success with tearful regularity. In 2002, she decided to make her debut at the marathon and the sport of running had never seen anything like it. In April, she won the Flora London Marathon in 2:18:53, the second quickest time in history and by October, she would be top of the pile.

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