Scots six of the best Olympic athletes

Scottish competitors have won six out of the 33 end-of-year awards by the British Olympic Association. Judo-player Euan Burton, weightlifter Peter Kirkbride, curler Eve Muirhead, tennis player Andy Murray, skier Andrew Musgrave and skaters John and Sinead Kerr have all been named Olympic Athlete of the Year for their respective sports by the BOA.

The annual awards, introduced in 2005 to mark the BOA's centenary, are given by each of the 33 summer and winter Olympic sports to honour their leading competitor of the past 12 months. Winners in other sports include swimmer Rebecca Adlington, track athlete Mo Farah, gymnast Beth Tweddle and Olympic skeleton bob gold medallist Amy Williams.

Ice hockey, football and rowing have yet to announce their winners for 2010.

For Muirhead, the award represents recognition of her efforts in her first year at senior level - a year in which she skipped the Great Britain team at the Winter Olympics and later won silver at both the world and European championships. "I am absolutely delighted to have been selected for this award and it rounds off what has been an exciting year in my progression to curling at senior level," the 20-year-old from Perthshire said.

"Competing at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver was an experience I will never forget and the year got even better when our team went on to win silver at the World Championships and again most recently at the European Championships earlier this month.

''Getting a taste of success makes me all the more determined to go on and reach the top of the medal podium and I would love to have the opportunity to represent Team GB again (at the Winter Olympics] in Sochi in 2014."

Burton was also a medallist at world and European level, taking bronze in both, and has now risen to fourth in the world rankings. Kirkbride, who was also weightlifting's athlete of the year in 2009, won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Murray, the world No 4, was runner-up at the Australian Open - his second Grand Slam final. Cross-country skier Musgrave and the Kerrs were team-mates of Muirhead's at the Winter Olympics.

For BOA Chief Executive Andy Hunt, the performance of the year came from Williams at those games in Canada. "Undoubtedly the British Olympic highlight of 2010 was Amy Williams' outstanding performance on the Whistler Sliding Centre where she claimed Olympic gold for Team GB in such fantastic style," Hunt said."The skeleton slider became Britain's first individual Winter Olympic Champion for 30 years and inspired the millions of Team GB fans watching on TV across the UK.

"The award of the Olympic Athlete of the Year trophy recognises the dedication, commitment and excellence of athletes who represent the very best of British talent in their respective Olympic sports."

WINNERS

Aquatics: Rebecca Adlington. Archery: Alison Williamson. Athletics: Mo Farah. Badminton: Rajiv Ouseph. Basketball: Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Boxing: Tom Stalker. Canoeing: Ed McKeever. Cycling: Emma Pooley. Equestrianism: Laura Bechtols-heimer. Fencing: Chrystall Nicoll. Gymnastics: Beth Tweddle. Handball: Holly Lam-Moores. Hockey: Helen Richardson. Judo: Euan Burton. Modern pentathlon: Sam Weale. Sailing: Ed Wright. Shooting: Elena Allen. Table tennis: Liam Pitchford. Taekwondo: Jade Jones. Tennis: Andy Murray. Triathlon: Jonathan Brownlee. Volleyball: Nathan French. Weighlifting: Peter Kirkbride. Wrestling: Myroslav Dykun. Biathlon: Lee-Steve Jackson. Bobsleigh/skeleton: Amy Williams. Curling: Eve Muirhead. Luge: AJ Rosen. Skating: Sinead and John Kerr. Skiing: Andrew Musgrave.