This time last year Emma Raducanu was languishing outside the world’s top 300 and a 12-year-old called Sky Brown was spouting scarcely believable ambitions of becoming Britain’s youngest Olympic medallist.
Fast forward 12 months and a new set of rising stars, both at home and abroad, are targeting 2022 as the year in which they emulate Raducanu and Brown and announce their arrivals on the world stage.
Here, the PA news agency selects the pick of the athletes to watch in 2022.
Bruce Mouat (curling)
Christ Tshiunza (rugby union)
Leylah Fernandez (tennis)
Savannah Marshall (boxing)
Zhao Xintong (snooker)
Leona Maguire (golf)
Conor Gallagher (football)
George Russell (Formula One)
Keely Hodgkinson (athletics)