Holmes won the 800m and 1500m in Athens

Her gutsy victory in the Olympics 800m was adjudged by a five-strong panel to have outshone that of her rivals.

And Holmes also won the Athens 1500m, becoming the first Briton to complete the middle-distance sweep for 84 years.

Yelena Isinbayeva was voted the IAAF's women's athlete of 2004, while Kenenisa Bekele took the men's top honour.

Russian pole vaulter Isinbayeva broke her own world record eight times this year to end with a new height of 4.92m in Brussels on 16 September.

Bekele set a world 5,000m indoor record of 12 minutes 49.60 seconds in only the second indoor competition of his career.

I've now achieved everything I wanted to do this year Kelly Holmes

Hicham El Guerrouj, meanwhile, was adjudged to have produced the best men's display, after edging a marvellous Olympic 1500m duel with Bernard Lagat.

Holmes beat Tatyana Tomashova to win the World Athletics Final in Monaco on Saturday and decided against following up in the 800m.

"I did think about running in the 800m, but honestly I wanted to finish my season on as high a note as possible," said Holmes.

"My target was to top the world (1500m) ranking, and by beating Tomashova I successfully achieved that aim.

"What with my Olympic victories and winning again here, I've done that. My legs are also very tired."

The Briton will close her year by running in the Great North Mile on Saturday.