Triple Olympic gold medallist Jodie Henry has broken Ian Thorpe's stranglehold on swimming's top prize by winning the Australian Swimmer of the Year award in Melbourne.

Henry, 21, won Olympic gold in the 100m freestyle and in the 4x100 and medley relays, as well as breaking the 100m freestyle world record in Athens.

It was enough for judges to give the Queenslander the nod ahead of fellow three-time Athens gold medallist Petria Thomas and Thorpe, Australia's most successful Olympian.

Henry is only the third woman named Swimmer of the Year since the award was inaugurated in 1990, following in the footsteps of Susie O'Neill and Hayley Lewis.

Thorpe had won for the past five years, sharing in 2003 with Grant Hackett.

Henry was also named female sprint freestyler of the year at the Australian Swimming awards dinner at the Grand Hyatt.

Thorpe picked up two prizes - the male sprint and middle distance freestyler awards - while Hackett won the Telstra People's Choice award voted for by the public, as well as male distance freestyler of the year.

Thomas and sprint freestyler Brett Hawke shared the swimmers' swimmer of the year award, voted for by their Australian swimming teammates.

Thomas, who won Olympic gold in the 100m butterfly and two relays and silver in the 200m butterfly, also won female butterfly swimmer of the year honours.

Henry's coach Shannon Rollason was named coach of the year, while 15-year-old South Australian Paralympic gold medallist and world record holder Matthew Cowdrey won the swimmer of the year with a disability.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP