Track and field athletics once again enjoys a number of awards as 2022 draws to a close

Denise Lewis is now a dame after being awarded a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to sport in her role as president of Commonwealth Games England.

The former heptathlete turned 50 in August and during the same month she helped oversee the successful Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

She joined the Commonwealth Games England board in 2016 having taken over the role from Dame Kelly Holmes. And last month Commonwealth Games England announced that Lewis will extend her period as president to take in the Victoria 2026 Games.

This follows an athletics career that saw her win Olympic gold at Sydney 2000, plus European gold in 1998 and Commonwealth titles in 1994 and 1998.

In 1999 she was awarded an MBE followed by an OBE in 2001. But she will now be known as Dame Denise.

Lewis is one of several people involved in the success of Birmingham 2022 to be recognised by King Charles in the new year honours. John Crabtree, for example, is knighted for his services to sport after having chaired the Commonwealth Games organising committee, while Ian Reid, the CEO of the organising committee, receives an OBE.

Sporting awards in these new year honours are dominated by footballers from the England Lionesses squad, but there are still several athletics-related honours to celebrate.

Aston Moore, the former two-time Commonwealth triple jump bronze medallist and long-time British athletics coach, has earned an MBE for services to his sport.

The 66-year-old is also an Olympian and since hanging up his spikes has become one of Britains most successful and popular coaches, guiding athletes such as Ashia Hansen and Phillips Idowu, plus current athletes such as Naomi Metzger, Ben Williams, Olivia Breen and Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Wendy Haxell, a long-time technical officials and former member of the UK Athletics Members Council, has been given an OBE for services to athletics and to the community in Hampshire.

Peter Crawshaw, a volunteer at England Athletics, has been awarded an MBE for services to athletics. For more than 30 years he has held a variety of roles from athlete and club administrator to field official and facility assessor whereas he recently ended an eight-year spell as an England Athletics director.

Finally, David Cooney, a long-time member of Cambuslang Harriers AC, has been awarded a BEM for services to athletics. After his own competitive days as a runner, Cooney enjoyed success in team management and also had a stint as an AW contributor in the 1980s!

It was a relentless, strength-sapping endurance test, but an action-packed 2022 was precisely what athletics needed, says Katharine Merry

Whats the first thing I think of when I look back on 2022? Outside of being incredibly busy in my professional life, the memories of some truly outstanding athletics moments the kind that made me think wow, this is a great sport come flooding back. 

There was Jake Wightmans unforgettable world title win and witnessing Eilish McColgan being roared to Commonwealth 10,000m victory in Birmingham, but also moments like Germanys Niklas Kaul coming from behind to win the European decathlon title in Munich. At one point he was orchestrating the whole of that crowd in the Olympic stadium and it was so uplifting to see. 

For every major championships this year I can think of at least two or three moments which made me feel privileged to have been able to see these back-to-back sporting feasts.

And, oh, how the sport needed a year like this. For one reason or another, athletics has taken a battering over the last few years and understandably there has been a substantial amount of negativity around. 

It has not been all sunshine and roses this summer, either, but it has been made abundantly clear that there is so much to be positive about in track and field. Were those Russian athletes really missed, for example?

The sport is undoubtedly in a better place at the moment, both internationally and in British terms. This past 12 months has seen extraordinary changes at our governing body. It feels simultaneously like five minutes and also years ago that I was interviewing the former UK Athletics chief executive Jo Coates about her plans for the sport and how she was going to shake things up. 

She certainly did that but perhaps not in the way many had hoped and, of course, there has been huge upheaval since then. The dramatic way in which things have changed has felt like a bit of a soap opera. 

What a difference a year makes. There is clearly a feeling of far greater stability at the top, with Ian Beattie and Mark Munro working through the transition before the arrival of Jack Buckner as chief executive during the summer. I know British Swimming were very sorry to lose him and you can appreciate why in the short time hes been in charge there has already been a huge amount of work done behind the scenes, which marries nicely with the excellent performances from British athletes on the track and in the field. 

Are we out of the woods yet? Of course not, but there is just a far greater feeling of balance and being able to look forward, rather than the constant firefighting of old. 

The athletes just got on with it and many produced the goods but now is the time of year when the reset button is hit and the process of trying to do it all again comes around. 

I was never a fan of this time of year, but thats probably to do with me being a sprinter. Wed have had at least three weeks off at the end of the season and then coming back to do three-mile runs was never fun. Everybody knows how hard it is to gain peak fitness and you lose it twice as quickly!

What I did like, though, was getting back into the routine, knowing what my training week looked like and working to my plan. The old adage that you get out what you put in really is true, folks, but seeing the pictures on social media of athletes stuck to the track or getting back into training brings a rueful smile to my face. I dont miss those days. 

The differing approaches of each athlete serves as a reminder of just how individual a sport this is, though. For some, theyll have needed a complete break and done absolutely nothing. For others, continuing to tick over is what works best. 

Its a hard balance to strike, especially if your season has gone well, because when youre on a roll or you get any form of consistency you dont really want it to stop. 

Part of you is thinking I might never be able to do this again and you want to hold on to it. 

You look at someone like Eilish McColgan, for example, and I dont know how she does it. 

She has her different phases of training, of course, but she just never seems to really stop. 

What shes doing is clearly working, though, and each athletes motivation comes from a different place. Heres hoping the groundwork being laid just now will bring more reasons to be cheerful in 12 months time. 

Mondo and Yulimar get my vote

My athletes of the year? When it comes to the Brits, its a pretty simple choice for the men. No one else comes close to Jake Wightman winning a world title. Picking a winner on the womens side, however, is infinitely harder. 

I can narrow it down to a top three of Laura Muir, Keely Hodgkinson and Eilish McColgan but I really do find it impossible to choose between the three of them. I think that in itself tells a wonderful story, though, and perhaps underlines just how good a year it has been. 

For the international awards, my vote would go to two field eventers who showed incredible longevity in 2022. Both Mondo Duplantis and Yulimar Rojas set world records at the World Indoor Championships in March but were still winning gold at the World Championships in July and picking up Diamond League titles in September. 

Mondo, of course, broke his world record three times this year and I really do hope the athletics world doesnt get complacent about what hes doing right now. Just because no-one can get anywhere near him should not detract from the fact that he is reaching an extraordinary level.

Its the same for Yulimar. I think shes really underrated and the field eventers really do deserve to be shown a bit more appreciation. 

Young sprinter is making her mark and thriving on the guidance of her training partner and idol, Dina Asher-Smith

Who inspired you to get into sprinting? 

When I was younger, I was inspired by Dina. I saw her as someone just like me. She was local and there was so much buzz around her so it motivated me to aspire to reach her level of success. I was also inspired by Usain Bolt mainly because the first major competition I was invested in was the 2012 Olympics. 

Id say that the 200m is definitely my stronger event, but I aim to succeed in both.

How does it feel to already be a two-time European U18 champion?

Its rewarding and humbling because there were times when I wondered how I was going to be able to balance everything and work up to where I want to be. So, to be able to accomplish the win after working for that balance between revising for, and sitting, exams, training and competing, felt like a step in the right direction.

I felt a great amount of relief crossing the line as I was so nervous warming up and on the start line. I knew I had what it took to win but I just had to keep myself level-headed and focused so I could put out a performance Id be proud of. At first, I was in disbelief when I looked at the time but then it settled in, and I was so proud.

Whats it like to train with your hero Dina Asher-Smith? 

Dina is so lovely and I love training with her! Shes so easy to talk to. Being able to ask her advice navigating certain areas of athletics is something Im really grateful for. We havent talked nails and make-up yet but maybe well have those conversations down the line!

Athlete of the Year

British junior female athlete of the year is Faith Akinbileje

European U18 200m champion

European U18 mixed relay champion

PB of 11.53 at 100m pic.twitter.com/1UdwJdIKzR

AW (@AthleticsWeekly) December 8, 2022

How do you balance training with education and teenage life?

It was hard in the beginning but the people I keep as friends understand that, because of my athletics commitments, Im often not available to go out and we work around it. Once I accepted and embraced the fact I had to work hard to maintain good grades in school while putting in the required work and practice in athletics, it made it easier to balance my life.

Whats next?

Its about commitment to the long winter sessions ahead of 2023. Despite the success of my last season, Im well aware theres still a lot of work to be done and so Im fully focused on improving.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Always surround yourself with people who want bright futures so that they motivate you to want the same. Make sure you have a strong support system. 

British under-20 male athlete of 2022 adds his name to Britains growing middle-distance strength

Its been quite a year for Ethan Hussey. At the World Under-20 Championships in Colombia, the 19-year-old took bronze in the 800m and came sixth in the 1500m. He also achieved PBs in both events (1:46.61 and 3:39.60) and is now looking to run even faster. To top it off he has been voted AW junior British male athlete of the year.

How good does it feel to have won this award?

Its an amazing way to top off the great season Ive had. Ive been reading AW since I was U11 and now Im turning 20 so I could never have hoped it would be me winning an AW award. It makes it so special. 

Whats been the highlight of 2022?

The bronze in the 800m at the World U20s. Id already clocked sixth in the 1500m then to back it up with a medal at the end of the meet closed it off so well. It was nice to have something physical that showed all the hard work. But, also, this award completes a clean sweep for me winning every award I could so thats a pretty good feeling, too!

How do you build on this year? Whats the focus for 2023?

Its about building on the year and keeping my head down and train consistently throughout the winter. Slow progression is always important as we slowly get older and this is the idea heading into the under-23s this year.

Ill be giving the European Under-23 Championships a bash and hopefully grab a medal there and then see what happens if I can perform in the seniors after that. Seniors isnt the focus but would be an added bonus. If I can get close to a [World Championships] qualifying time Ill be really pleased. Its competitive within the British team so to throw my name in that hat will be a tough, but exciting job.

Is there anything you would change about this year?

Run faster! I dont think Ive hit full potential yet so that is exciting. Im a glass half-full guy so Im pretty happy when I look at this year but I know I can go faster.

Who would you like to dedicate this to?

This award isnt just for me. Okay, I crossed the line but its an award for my team, my family, my friends, my coach, and everyone who has been with me along the way. Okay, you can say Ethan Hussey won this award but I like to say: Ethan Husseys team won this award. I just turn up to training and do as Im told!

Whats next?

I came out of the track season fairly satisfied so now Ill do some cross country and train over in the sun over the winter but ultimately I just want to go faster. Ive got a well-established team around me and we know what we are aiming for and I think Ive got the skills to get there. 

"It might be Ethan Hussey's won this award but it's not just for myself but also my team, family and friends."@ethan_hussey44 voted UK male junior athlete of the year on how his support network helped him win a world junior 800m bronze medal

@GeorgieHeath27 pic.twitter.com/btnaocWvGL

AW (@AthleticsWeekly) December 17, 2022