It is remarkable how in more than a fortnight a relative unknown can become a household name. Rebecca Adlington, the bubbly, Mansfield-born swimmer, achieved just that with a remarkable double success at the Olympic Games in Beijing last summer.

At 19 years of age, Adlington became Britain’s first female Olympic swimming champion since Anita Lonsborough in Rome 48 years earlier when she won the 400m freestyle. But that was not enough for her superb talents because, six days later, she secured her place in the record books by winning the 800m freestyle - breaking the world record in the process - to become Britain’s most successful swimmer, either male or female, for more than a century.

And, with those achievements in mind, she was rewarded by being named our Olympian Of The Year for 2008. It was a tough decision for the judges, though, in a field that included Rebecca Romero, the first British woman to win Olympic gold medals at two different events - in 2004 in Athens, she triumphed in rowing before switching to cycling where she enjoyed success in the 3km individual pursuit last summer.

The other nominee was Christine Ohuruogu, who won 400m Olympic gold in China a year after her success at the World Athletics Championship in Osaka.

But it was Adlington, who will be given an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List, that wooed our judges the most, even though she could not make it to the Awards because she is currently training in Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands and then competing in France.

She did, however, send a message of thanks and was quick to look ahead to the London Olympics in 2012. “To young kids, I say 'stick with it, enjoy whatever sport you can because London coming up and it is going to be an unbelievable opportunity',” Adlington said. “It is only three years away but four years ago I was not in the same position that I am now.

“The last 12 months have been a whirlwind and Beijing was unbelievable. Getting the OBE was such an honour and hopefully I can follow it up this year at the World Championships [in Rome].”

She added: “My life has changed drastically, but it is still the same. I am still getting up at five in the morning. I have met some fantastic people and done some amazing things."

Sport, perhaps like nothing else, can change a person’s life overnight and Adlington discovered that, making front page headlines and even having her fashion dreams come true. As was shown by Tony Eggington, the Mayor of Mansfield, when he said: “When we did our Olympic send-off, I promised her a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes if she brought back gold, so it looks like I might have to eat my words now. She has raised the profile of Mansfield and as an individual she is remarkable.”

She set a brilliant foundation for her success in China when she won gold at the world short course championships in Manchester in April in a European record of 8min 8.25sec. The rest is part of British sporting history.

Dame Kelly Holmes, Britain's double Olympic gold medallist from Athens in 2004, who presented the award with Liz Nicol from UK Sport, led the tributes to the success of Britain’s Olympians. "Beijing was outstanding for our country and for women's sport," she said.

"In that first week, when we had so many medals won by females, it showed the quality we have. The success of women in sport is increasing every year. It was not just at the Olympics, because we have so many multi-medallists who have won at world championships."