Trstenjak won the prestigious award after she justified in Rio de Janeiro the status of top favourite in the 63kg category, which she earned as the acting world and European champion.

This is the first title for the 26-year-old, who became only the third Slovenian Olympic champion in an individual sport following skier Tina Maze and judoka Urška Žolnir. She succeeds Maze, who won the Athlete of the Year Award six times before retiring last year.

Meanwhile, also following in Maze's footsteps is Prevc, who earned his fourth consecutive title with a record breaking 2015/2016 season.

The 24-year-old, who is still struggling to find his top form in the new season, won an unprecedented 15th World Cup events, as well as the title of Ski Flying World Champion and the prestigious four-hills tournament.

The team award meanwhile went to Slovenia's ice hockey players, who have qualified for their second Olympics in a row.

The team, which had already won the award four times in the past and follows the men'a national volleyball team as the 2015 winners, will be defending in Pyeongchang 2018 a phenomenal seventh place from the Sochi Olympics.

This year's ceremony came as Slovenia is celebrating the 25th anniversary of independence and the awards were handed out by some of the country's most successful athletes from this period.

The honour was given to rower Iztok Čop, hurdler Brigita Bukovec, ski jumper Peter Peterka, judoka Žolnir, basketballer Dušan Hauptman and shooter Rajmond Debevec.

Before the awards ceremony, which is being organised without fail since 1968, President Borut Pahor hosted a reception for the athletes and their coaches.