Norway’s Karsten Warholm and Ireland’s Phil Healy have been voted male and female European Athletes of the Month for January 2018.
The voting took place across the European Athletics’ Facebook and Twitter pages over the last five days and Warholm became the second successive Norwegian winner of the men’s category after European marathon record-holder Sondre Nordstad Moen scooped the plaudits in December.
Warholm opened his season at the Dimna Games in his home city of Ulsteinvik last month, setting a since improved Norwegian 400m record and European-leading mark of 45.88.
Your male Athlete of the Month for January is Karsten Warholm!
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) February 6, 2018
The world 400m hurdles champion clocked a since-beaten Norwegian indoor 400m record of 45.88 in his hometown of Ulsteinvik. pic.twitter.com/f0sAmfV94z
Warholm scored 435 votes across Facebook and Twitter, beating out Czech veteran sprint hurdler Petr Svoboda for the accolade.
On the women’s side, Healy dominated the social vote, tallying almost 2000 votes across Facebook and Twitter. The 23-year-old made a sizeable breakthrough in Vienna last month, improving her outright lifetime best over 400m from 53.15 to 52.08.
Your female Athlete of the Month for January is Phil Healy!
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) February 6, 2018
Healy made a huge breakthrough over 400m in Vienna, improving her 400m PB from 53.15 to 52.08 to top the 2018 European lists. pic.twitter.com/TiLRIdv1PB