The 20-year-year, seen in Great Britain as the natural successor to Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis, proved she is on the right path by winning gold in the event at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Tampere.
Then, just a month later, Johnson-Thompson took to the senior stage to finish fifth in the heptathlon at the IAAF World Championships with a personal best of 6449.
It was another big stepping stone for the 2012 IAAF World junior long jump champion who will head into 2013 as a rival to Ennis at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich.
In Tampere, Johnson-Thompson scored 6215 from Germany’s Kira Biesenbach in second with 5946 and Anastasiya Mokhnyuk, of the Ukraine, third in 5898.
“It means a lot to me to win gold here considering I was injured in May. I didn't think I would make it back to this standard this season,” she said.
In Moscow, that standard rose even more when she set four individual personal bests in the 200m (23.37), Long Jump (6.56m), Javelin (40.86m) and 800m (2:07.64).
One of those challenging her for the Young Athlete title is a woman who will never forget the European Athletics Team Championships which took place in June.
It is fair to say that few had heard of Jessica Judd before the start of the 800m but her performance in Gateshead well and truly put her on the map.
It was the opening day of the event and just a few days after the end of her important A-level examinations. Judd graduated with style as an athlete when she won in 2:00.82.
At 18, she was not only making her international debut but she showed immense maturity to beat Russia’s Ekaterina Sharmina by just 0.04 with Ukraine’s Olha Lyakohova third in 2:02.30.
From there, her progress saw her make the team for Moscow where she became the youngest Briton to run the 800m at an IAAF World Championships, even though she did not make it through to the semi-finals.
For the senior awards, not surprisingly Mo Farah and Christine Ohuruogu are the favourites.
If Farah thought 2012 was an amazing year with his double Olympic glory in the 5000m and 10,000m in London, he took his achievements to a new level in 2013 when he won both events again in Moscow this summer.
He became only the second man to land this double-double, joining Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele.
Ohuruogu turned back the clock from 2007 to regain the 400m world title she had first won in Osaka, with the closest victory margin in IAAF World Championship history.
She triumphed by an amazing 0.004 from defending champion Amantle Montsho, with both women given the same time of 49.41.
The shortlists for the British Athlete of the Year are:
Male Athlete of the Year:
James Dasaolu; Aled Davies; Mo Farah; Adam Gemili; Jonnie Peacock; Richard WhiteheadFemale Athlete of the Year:
Libby Clegg; Hannah Cockroft; Christine Ohuruogu; Josie Pearson; Tiffany Porter; Perri Shakes-Drayton
Young Athlete of the Year:
Hollie Arnold; Dina Asher-Smith; Sophie Hahn; Katarina Johnson-Thompson; Rhys Jones; Jessica Judd