Ukhov and Antyukh voted European Athletes of the Month for July | 20.08.2012
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| Ivan Ukhov of Russia has been voted European Athlete of the Month for July. |
Ukhov, the world indoor champion, cleared a world leading height of 2.39m at the National Championships in Cheboksary on 5 July and firmly established himself as one of the favourites to take the gold at the Olympic Games in London. He eventually went on to win the coveted gold in London.
Former European 400m hurdles champion Antyukh, clocked a world leading time of 53.40 at the National Championships in Cheboksary and gave ample glimpses of things to follow in London.
Double European 100m champion Christophe Lemaitre clocked a European-leading 200m time of 19.91 at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in London on 14 July, and for his superb run the Frenchman was voted second in the men’s poll.
The British sprint prodigy Adam Gemili ran a national junior record and championships record of 10.05 at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona and was voted third behind Lemaitre. Incidentally Gemili’s 10.05 is the second fastest time ever by a European junior after Lemaitre’s 10.04 the Frenchman ran at the European Athletics Junior Championships in Novi Sad in 2009.
Former European 3000m steeplechase champion and reigning world champion Yuliya Zaripova of Russia, who ran a European season-leading time of 9:09:99 at the National Championships in Cheboksary, was voted second ahead of Turkish 100m hurdler Nevin Yanit.
Yanit, the 2012 European Athletics Championships gold medallist, ran a European season-leading time of 12.61 in Eskisehir.
The European Athlete of the Month initiative was launched in January 2007 and is designed to recognise outstanding performers at all levels of the sport in Europe.
European Athletics names a male and female winner each month and features the athlete on the European Athletics website.
Selections are based on votes by the public, media and a panel of European Athletics experts – each counting for 33.3% of the final vote. No athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban can be nominated for or win the European Athlete of the Month award.
| Month | Male |
Country | Female | Country |
| January | Aleksey Dmitrik | RUS | Holly Bleasdale | GBR |
| February | Adam Kszczot | POL | Yelena Isinbayeva | RUS |
| March | Renaud Lavillenie | FRA | Nataliya Dobrynska | UKR |
| April | Matej Tóth | SVK | Oksana Menkova | BLR |
| May | Robert Harting | GER | Jessica Ennis | GBR |
| June | Renaud Lavillenie | FRA | Olha Saladuha | UKR |
