Murray and Ohuruogu scoop top SJA awards

Team GB Olympic heroes Andy Murray and Christine Ohuruogu scooped the top honours at Thursday’s Sports Journalists Association Awards.

Murray took home the award for Sportsman of the Year after he became the first Brit in 77 years to win Wimbledon when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final this summer.

And having scooped the gold medal at London 2012 on that very same court a year earlier, SW19 is now very much a home from home for the Scot.

Ohuruogu was rewarded with the SJA 2013 Sportswomen of the Year gong after her heroic showing at the world championships in Moscow this summer.

Ohuruogu stormed to gold in the 400m in Russia, breaking Kathy Cook’s 28-year British record in the process.

That more than made up for her silver disappointment in London 2012, although she did scoop gold in Beijing four years earlier.

The sprinter was also presented with the Pat Besford Trophy for the year’s Outstanding Performance, regaining the world title after a six-year gap.

Aled Davies was named the SJA’s Paralympic Sportsman of the Year after his F42 discus and F42/44 shot put gold medals at the IPC world championships in Lyon.

Hannah Cockcroft, the T34 100m and 200m world champion, was named as the 2013 SJA Paralympic Sportswoman of the Year.

And David Walker, the SJA chairman, said: “It speaks volumes for the brilliance of British sportsmen and women that the glories of 2012, the London Olympics year, have been matched, and in some cases surpassed, in 2013.

“While Andy Murray was our runaway winner of the men’s award, the women’s and team awards were highly competitive. Christine Ohuruogu was our deserved winner of the women’s title and after the closest of votes the British and Irish Lions won our team award.