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Britain’s Olympic heroes have been recognised in the New Year Honours list, with cyclist Chris Hoy knighted.

Team-mate Bradley Wiggins and sailing star Ben Ainslie become CBEs, swimmer Rebecca Adlington receives an OBE and boxer James DeGale is made an MBE.

Team GB cycling performance director Dave Brailsford is made a CBE, as is rowing counterpart David Tanner.

Lewis Hamilton receives an MBE after becoming Formula One’s youngest world champion in only his second season.

Reading FC chairman John Madejski receives a knighthood for his charity work, and BBC cricket commentator Christopher Martin-Jenkins is recognised with an MBE.

Scotland’s Hoy, recently crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, became the first Briton in 100 years to win three golds at an Olympics with his success in Beijing in August.

Hoy has a double reason to celebrate as his mother Carol, who is a retired nurse, is recognised for her work on sleep-related illnesses.

“It’s incredible and I’m absolutely delighted,” said Hoy.

“I still can’t quite believe it. To be given a knighthood is an enormous honour – it means so much to me and also to my family.”

Sailor Ainslie is honoured after winning sailing gold in Beijing – his third – while disabled swimmer David Roberts also receives an CBE after winning four golds in Beijing and his 11th in total.

Track cyclist Wiggins, who claimed two gold medals in Beijing and his sixth Olympic medal, is also awarded a CBE.

OBEs are also awarded to gold-medal winning sailors Sarah Ayton, Iain Percy, Sarah Webb while Olympic champion rowers Zac Purchase, Mark Hunter, Andy Trigg-Hodge and Tom James, and Peter Reed all get MBEs.

Adlington became the first British woman to win an Olympic gold in the pool since Anita Lonsbrough in 1960, and finished third in the vote at Sports Personality of the Year.

She said: “I’m absolutely delighted to receive the OBE – it is fantastic to be recognised in the New Year Honours.

“There are so many amazing names on the list, it’s something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.”

Born with dwarfism, 14-year-old swimmer Eleanor Simmonds became Britain’s youngest ever individual Paralympic gold medallist in Beijing and is also the youngest person receive an honour.

There are also MBEs for gold medal-winning cyclists Ed Clancy, Geraint Thomas, Jason Kenny, Jamie Staff, Pail Manning, Nicole Cooke, Victoria Pendleton and Rebecca Romero.

GB boxing coach Terry Edwards was also honoured with a MBE after steering DeGale to gold and David Price and Tony Jeffries to bronze medals in Beijing.

“I was absolutely gobsmacked when I heard the news and I’m so proud to have received this honour,” said DeGale.

“It was a dream come true to represent my country at the Olympics and to have won a gold medal, and this just caps a perfect year for me.”

Hamilton’s MBE rounds off an astonishing year for the 23-year-old after he won won the Formula One championship in 2008 and was Sports Personality of the Year runner-up.

The McLaren driver received a personally-written note of congratulations from the Queen.

KNIGHTHOODS

Chris Hoy, cyclist, for services to sport.

John Madejski, for charitable services.

COMMANDERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE – CBE

Ben Ainslie, sailor, for services to sport.

David Brailsford, performance director, British Cycling, for services to sport.

Lee Pearson, for services to equestrianism and disabled sport.

David Roberts, swimmer, services to disabled sport.

David Tanner, performance director, GB Rowing Team, for services to sport.

Bradley Wiggins, cyclist, for services to sport

OFFICERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE – OBE

Rebecca Adlington, swimmer, for services to sport.

Sarah Ayton, sailor, for services to sport.

Cheryl Danson, chair England Netball, for services to sport.

Ellen Hunter, cycling pilot guide, for services to disabled sport.

Rhydian James Morgan-Jones, for services to the horseracing industry.

Darren Kenny, cyclist, for services to disabled sport.

Sascha Kindred, swimmer, for services to disabled sport.

Philip Lane, chief executive Paralympics GB, for services to sport.

Brian McCargo, for services to sport and to the Special Olympics in Northern Ireland.

Aileen McGlynn, cyclist, for services to disabled sport.

Stephen Park, manager, British Olympic Sailing Team, for services to sport.

Iain Percy, sailor, for services to sport.

Timothy Reddish, national performance director for disability swimming, for services to sport.

Sarah Storey, cyclist, for services to disabled sport.

Peter Warburton, director of sport, University of Durham, for services to higher education and sport.

Sarah Webb, sailor, for services to sport. London.

Stephen Williams, rower, for services to sport. Henley-on-Thames.

MEMBERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE – MBE

Harold Alderman, boxing historian, for services to sporting heritage.

Robert Bloomfield, for voluntary service to rugby union in Northern Ireland.

Tim Brabants, canoeist, for services to sport.

Mark Bristow, cyclist, for services to disabled sport.

Tony Burns, for voluntary service to amateur boxing.

Sophie Christiansen, equestrian, for services to disabled sport.

Edward Clancy, cyclist, for services to sport.

Nicole Cooke, cyclist, for services to sport.

Bernard Cotton, director, Team GB holding camp, for services to sport.

Jody Cundy, cyclist, for services to disabled sport.

James DeGale, middleweight boxer, for services to sport.

Ms Leslie Dillingham, for voluntary service to equestrian sport.

Anne Dunham, equestrian, for services to disabled sports.

Terry Edwards, Team GB head boxing coach, for services to sport.

Gerald Ells, for services to veterans’ tennis.

Major Stephen Farley, Team GB quartermaster, for services to sport.

Dr John Gillespie, for voluntary service to horseracing in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goodison, sailor for services to sport.

Dave Haller, swimming coach, for services to sport.

Lewis Hamilton, Formula One driver, for services to motor racing.

Andrew Triggs Hodge, rower, for services to sport.

Mark Hunter, rower, for services to sport.

Thomas James, rower, for services to sport.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins, cricket commentator and journalist, for services to sport.

Anthony Kappes, cyclist, for services to disabled sport.

Jason Kenny, cyclist, for services to sport.

Lieutenant Commander Brian Maddock, chief umpire, Wimbledon Championships, for services to tennis.

Paul Manning, cyclist, for services to sport.

Owen McGhee, services to sport and to charity.

Christine Ohuruogu, athlete, for services to sport.

Annabel Oxley, for voluntary service to injured jockeys.

Victoria Pendleton, cyclist, for services to sport.

Zachary Purchase, rower, for services to sport.

Billy Pye, British swimming head disability coach, for services to sport.

Peter Reed, rower, for services to sport.

Simon Richardson, cyclist, for services to disabled sport.

Rebecca Romero, cyclist, for services to sport.

Eleanor Simmonds, swimmer, for services to disabled sport.

Andrew Simpson, sailor, for services to sport.

Jamie Staff, cyclist, for services to sport.

David Stone, cyclist, for services to disabled sport.

Barney Storey, cycling pilot, for services to disabled sport.

Geraint Thomas, cyclist, for services to sport.

Matthew Walker, swimmer, for services to disabled sport. Stockport, Cheshire.

David Weir, wheelchair racer, for services to disabled sport.

Philippa Wilson, sailor, for services to sport.

Edward Wingrave, for services to cycling.<p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation

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