2007 Victoria Pendleton

Considering that she nearly the quit the sport of cycling for good back in 2004, following her heartache at the Athens Olympics, this was the season that represented Victoria Pendleton’s deserved, if not belated, transformation from serial underachiever to world-class cyclist. The catalyst came at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Mallorca in March when she sensationally claimed three gold medals on the track – in the Individual Sprint, the Team Sprint and the Keirin. Her success was a significant contributor as Great Britain finished top of the overall medals standings with seven golds, the perfect platform for Beijing.

“I cannot believe I have done it,” Pendleton said immediately after her treble glory. “Let's face it, winning a medal has become average in this team so you have to make sure it is a bit special. I wanted to win one, but to come away with three is a big surprise. I have had the season of my life. The way I felt at the World Championships was the way you dream about feeling in an ideal situation. If in 2004 someone had said to me what would happen, I am not sure I would have believed them.

Although she was in Perth at the time of the Awards ceremony, studiously preparing for the start of the forthcoming World Cup season and the countdown to the following summer’s Olympic Games, Pendleton was still overwhelmed by the decision from our judging panel. "I’m really hoping 2008 will be a great year. It is fantastic to have won this award,” she said, upon receiving her accolade in Australia from fellow cyclist Chris Hoy.

The Bedford-born athlete became a cyclist because of her father Max who competes himself. It was fitting that he was available to speak on her behalf. “When she was 12 or 13, we realised she had something special,” he said. “All dads think their kids are special. Victoria was very sceptical about what her skills are. If you have a kid which you think is really special, keep managing.”

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.

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