European Athletics is pleased to announce that Pieter-Jan Hannes of Belgium and Sophie Duarte of France have been voted by the fans and media as European Athletes of the Month for December.
The highlight of December from a continental perspective was certainly the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
Hannes caused one of the big surprises in Belgrade when he convincingly won the men’s under-23 race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships by five seconds, and he’s still young enough to defend his title in 2014.
Roberto Alaiz of Spain finished second in the overall vote for European Athlete of the Month. Although not part of the Spanish team that won the SPAR European Cross Country Championships senior men’s team gold medal, he won at the good quality Quintanar de la Orden cross country meeting on 1 December.
Renaud Lavillenie of France, the reigning Olympic and European pole vault champion, opened his indoor season at the Perche Elite Tour meeting in the Parisian suburb of Aulnay Sous Bois with 5.93m on 21 December, and finished third in the poll for his efforts.
On the women’s side, European Athlete of the Month winner Duarte became the third French woman to claim the SPAR European Cross Country Championships senior women’s title after she impressively pulled away on the last 1.5km lap to win over 8km by five seconds.
Portugal’s Dulce Felix, the 2012 European Athletics Championships 10,000m gold medallist, got the bronze at the European Cross Country Championships and then won the famous Sao Silvestre de Lisboa 10km in 32:22 on 28 December. She finished second in the poll.
France’s Cindy Billaud, the 2013 IAAF World Championships100m hurdles finalist, ran 8.12 for the 60m hurdles in Mayenne on 22 December, and claimed third in the poll.
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.