The honour at the World Rowing Awards has come a year after Drysdale, 44, announced his retirement after failing to secure the New Zealand sculls spot for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Drysdale's career saw him win gold at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, having taken bronze at Beijing 2008.

He also won the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011 world titles.

Drysdale competed earlier this year in the "Grand Finale" race at the 2022 World Rowing Championships to honour his friend and long-time competitor Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic.

The Men's Crew of the Year award went to the French men's double sculls pair of Matthieu Androdias and Hugo Boucheron, the Olympic champions, who competed only in the World Championships this year and won it with flawless technique and amazing speed.

The French duo had had to overcome a rough season, with Boucheron fighting against depression.

The award for the Women’s Crew of the Year also went to a double sculls combination - Romania's Simona Radis and Ancuta Bodnar, who have been on a winning streak of 18 races since 2020 which took in their winning the Olympic title in Tokyo last summer.

They have gone on to secure European and world titles this year, with Radis also stepping into the stroke seat of the women's eight and winning a second world gold.

The Para Crew of the Year award went to Britain's PR3 Mixed Coxed Four crew of Giedre Rakauskaite, Francesca Allen, Edward Fuller, Oliver Stanhope and Morgan Baynham-Williams.

In this boat class Britain are undefeated since 2010 and this selection have maintained the tradition with elan, winning all of their races this year as well as setting a world-leading time at the 2022 World Rowing Championships - with coxswain Baynham-Williams stepping in the boat to replace Erin Kennedy, who is fighting breast cancer.

Vyacheslav Zagreba of Ukraine won the Coach of the Year honour.

At this year’s World Rowing Championships, Zagreba’s crews won gold medals in the PR1 men's single sculls and the PR2 mixed double sculls.

With the ongoing war in their homeland, the Ukraine Para team had to train all year away from home, but that didn’t stop them from giving it all on the water - and Zagreba has been a key to Ukraine’s success in 2022.

Meanwhile Denis Masseglia of France has been honoured for Distinguished Service to International Rowing.

Rowing has been part of Masseglia's life since he was 12 years old.

He went on to be a competitive rower for two decades and was president of the French Rowing Federation from 1989 to 2001.

He then became President of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee from 2009 to 2021.

He was as a member of the World Rowing Council, chair of the Coastal Commission and he spent four years on the World Rowing Executive Committee up to 2004.

The Coastal Commission champions coastal rowing and recreational rowing tours along with other rowing activities.

Coming from the coastal city of Marseille, Masseglia has always had a strong involvement in coastal rowing.

The winners were announced during a virtual ceremony that was streamed live on World Rowing's YouTube Channel.

The World Rowing Sustainability Award and the Filippi Spirit Award have not been awarded for 2022.