Felix and Rocha voted European Athletes of the Month for November | 19.12.2012
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| Ana Dulce Felix has been voted women's European Athlete of the Month for November. |
Felix, the 2012 European Athletics Championships 10,000m gold medallist, won at the European Athletics Cross Country Permit Meeting in Tilburg, the Netherlands, on 25 November. She covered the 8km course in 27:39.
Rocha was equally impressive when he battled through tough conditions to win over 9.6km in 33:12 at the Cross de Torres Vedras in Portugal on 25 November.
Switzerland’s 22-year-old Fabienne Schlumpf , who registered a good win at the Darnstadt cross country race in Germany on 25 November, covering the 6.7km course in 24:26, was voted second in the women’s poll. British prodigy Jess Coulson, who was the leading European in third place at the IAAF Cross Country Permit Meeting, Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, in Spain on 11 November and also a winner at the UK trials for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Liverpool on 24 November, was voted third.
Frenchman Hassan Chahdi, the 2010 SPAR European Cross Country Championships under 23 winner, who was the first European home when he finished third at the Cross Le Maine Libre, covering the 9.4km course in 27:25 in Allones, France, on 18 November, finished second in the men’s poll. While Italy’s Stefano La Rosa was voted third after his win at the famous Cross della Volpe race on his home turf on 11 November. He covered the 9km distance in 28:16.
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.
