The 2015 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria, on 14 December provided a fantastic showcase for the continent’s top distance runners and we are very happy to include all six individual winners in this month’s nominees.
In addition, several other runners from the Championships are included after rising to the occasion and shining in their races against older and more experienced opponents.
We feel that their performances, despite them not winning a title in Bulgaria, warrant them being among the nominees for European Athlete of the Month.
European runners also made an impact in a variety of road races and other cross country meetings and the nominees also included athletes, including a number of youths, who have made the headlines after their early winter indoor feats.
European Athletics is consequently pleased to announce that athletes from 12 different countries have been nominated for the December award.
At the end of each month, a panel of experts produces a short list of the outstanding athletes and performances achieved by European athletes during that month, which is then mailed to the European athletics media and thousands of fans who have signed up to receive news from European Athletics.
Click here to cast your media vote.
Username: media
Password: Med2013
The European Athlete of the Month fan voting takes place through our Facebook page, while members of the media can cast their vote on our website.
The public, media and a group of expert statisticians cast their votes for the European Athlete of the Month with each category counting as 33.3 per cent of the vote.
For example, the winner of each poll will be awarded 10 points, second 9 points, etc. and the athlete with the most points after the three different polls have been counted will be declared the winner.
In the unlikely event of a tie, Hansjörg Wirz, the president of European Athletics, will have the casting vote.
The voting will close on Sunday 18 January at noon CET.
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.
No athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban can be nominated for the European Athlete of the Month.