Eighteen members of the 24-man jury, which was presided over by former International Olympic Committee chairman Juan Antonio Samaranch and which met in the northern Spanish city of Oviedo, voted for Nadal in the final round of votes.

That allowed Rafael to triumph over the other candidates, who included US Olympic swimming gold medalist Michael Phelps, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and Olympic 100 meters champion Ursain Bolt of Jamaica.

The Spanish football squad which won this year's European Championships, was also among the candidates.

2008 has been an incredible year for Nadal. He won the French Open tournament in May and followed that up with his first ever triumph in Wimbledon and the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

Nadal succeeds former Formula 1 racing champion Michael Schumacher, who won the award in 2007.

The Prince of Asturias Awards were initiated in 1981 to encourage achievements in scientific, cultural and humanistic fields. The awards are divided into eight categories including arts, social sciences and sport. Each of the eight international recipients are awarded 50,000 euros.