Mark Cavendish and Tara Donnelly were crowned Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year at the Isle of Man Sports Awards on Thursday evening.

The Manx Missile rolled back the years in 2021 to claim four stage victories at the Tour de France and equal Eddy Merckx’s long-standing record of 34 wins.

Gymnastics star Donnelly claimed European, British and Manx titles on the floor and vault last year.

FC Isle of Man, who are currently vying for promotion in the North West Counties Football League, were named Ambassadors of the Year after a terrific debut season.

Manx Rams claimed the Team of the Year accolade thanks to their international success which included a silver medal at the Europe Netball Open Challenge in Gibraltar.

Captain Ashley Hall, who was voted player of the tournament, had even more to celebrate after she was also named Coach of the Year for leading the under-21s to their first European Championship which was held on home soil.

Football star Sean Jackson, whose performances for Manchester City’s Amputee team, saw him selected for England at the European Championships in Poland, scooped the Disability Sportsperson of the Year award for a second time.

In total, 14 accolades were handed out at the ceremony including the Leonie Cooil Courage & Inspiration Award which went to Andrew Baker after he completed a gruelling 4,600-mile solo row across the Atlantic Ocean in 2021, raising money for local charities.

Colin Brown, who is heavily involved in tennis, football, cricket, table tennis and badminton, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The other winners on the night were:

- Under-21 Sportsman of the year: Tyler Hannay (cycling)

- Under-21 Sportswoman of the year: Kaytlyn Adshead (motorcycle trials)

- Sports Administrator of the Year: Linda Alton-Heath (circuit racing)

- Veteran Sportsperson of the Year: Martin Freestone (rallying)

- Sports Leader of the Year: Millie Corlett

The ceremony also included a guest appearance from former Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams MBE and saw more than 50 athletes receive Sport Aid and Isle of Man Sport support for the year ahead.

Reaction and photographs from the event in next week’s Isle of Man Examiner and Manx Independent.