Jonathan Edwards with Kelly Holmes

The golden girl of British athletics came through a two-day survival of the fittest in the Olympic Stadium to claim the heptathlon crown.

Mark Lewis-Francis, the exciting young sprinter who turned down the chance of going to Australia, was named the young male athlete of the year.

Lewis-Francis skipped the Games to concentrate on the World Junior Championships in Santiago, Chile, where he won the 100m in blistering fashion last month.

Agonisingly close

The young female award was, for the first time in BAWA's history, given to a group of athletes in recognition of the unexpected gold medal success of the 4x400m quartet at the world juniors.

The winners were Lisa Miller, Kim Wall, Helen Thieme, Jennifer Meadows and Heather Brookes, who ran in an earlier round.

Mark Lewis-Francis scooped gold in 2000

The Norwich Union Inspiration Award went to Donna Fraser who shrugged off several years of injury and illness to come agonisingly close to winning the bronze medal in the Olympic 400m final.

Plymouth walker Chris Maddocks claimed the Ron Pickering Memorial Award for services to athletics for his heroics in Sydney where he competed for Britain for a fifth successive Games.

Maddocks, who started the 50km event with an injury, bravely battled on and despite finishing last - well over an hour after the winner - was given a rousing ovation when he entered the stadium.