From an initial list of 10 athletes who were all nominated based solely on their performances this season, four athletes have made the women’s European Athlete of the Year shortlist.
The winner will be announced and presented with their trophy at the Golden Tracks award ceremony in Tallinn, Estonia on Saturday 26 October. Last year's winner was Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith who won three gold medals at the European Championships in Berlin.
The Golden Tracks voting procedure takes into account fan voting across social media, media voting, European Athletics Member Federations voting as well as the expert European Athletics Panel vote. Each component accounts for 25 percent of the voting process.
There will be live streaming of the Golden Tracks award ceremony with more details to follow later this week.
Dina Asher-Smith (GBR)
-World 200m champion
-World 100m and 4x100m relay silver medallist
-Diamond League 100m champion
-European leader at 100m (10.83) and 200m (21.88)
Dina Asher-Smith is the first British woman to win a global sprint title!pic.twitter.com/1hHLRZYS4D
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) October 2, 2019
The treble European champion is now a treble world medallist after Asher-Smith came away from Doha with gold in the 200m and silver in the 100m and 4x100m relay. Asher-Smith lowered her British records to 10.83 and 21.88 in the individual finals and her consistency across the season is just as worthy of comment. The Brit broke the 11 second-barrier for 100m in nine of her 10 races - the exception being the heats of the British Championships when she clocked 11.03 against a 2.0 m/s headwind.
Sifan Hassan (NED)
-World 1500m and 10,000m champion
-Diamond League 1500m and 5000m champion
-World record-holder in the mile (4:12.33) and 5km (14:44)
-European records at 1500m (3:51.95), 3000m (8:18.49) and 5000m (14:22.12)
-World leader at 1500m, mile, 3000m and 10,000m
-European leader at the half marathon (65:45)
Sifan Hassan powered to victory in the 10,000m at the #WorldAthleticsChamps in a world leading 30:17.62! pic.twitter.com/HVOUaGUpmX
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) September 28, 2019
Hassan’s range across the distance is unparalleled in distance running history and the Dutchwoman, who previously had a history of near misses in global championships, was in rampant form in Doha where she won an unprecedented 1500/10,000m double. Her performance in the 1500m was particularly astonishing as she took down Tatyana Kazankina’s 39-year-old European record with a gun-to-tape 3:51.95 and her assault on the record books isn’t done for the season. She will race in the Valencia Half Marathon later this month which is being touted as a world record attempt.
Mariya Lasitskene (ANA)
-European indoor high jump champion-World champion
-Diamond League champion
-World leader at 2.06m
-Won 21 of her 23 competitions
-Cleared 2.00m or higher in 17 competitions
Lasitskene created history at the World Championships in Doha by becoming the first athlete in history to win three successive world high jump titles - a streak which she could feasibly extend as the Russian is still only 26. Lasitskene was thoroughly dominant both indoors and outdoors and finishes the season as the world leader for the third year running with a 2.06m clearance from Ostrava.
Another outstanding display from Mariya Lasitskene.
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) September 30, 2019
She becomes the first athlete in history to win three successive high jump titles at the #WorldAthleticsChamps! pic.twitter.com/XGhRvVgtSu
Malaika Mihambo (GER)
-World long jump champion-Diamond League champion
-European Athletics Team Championships winner
-World leader at 7.30m
-Unbeaten in 10 competitions outdoors
Mihambo amassed an unblemished outdoor season, winning her 10 competitions in the long jump and producing six of the seven longest jumps in the world as well. She crowned her year by becoming world champion in Doha where she sailed out to a brilliant lifetime best and world lead of 7.30m which missed Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s championship record by a mere six centimetres.
This jump from Malaika Mihambo.
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) October 7, 2019
Just six centimetres off the championship record!pic.twitter.com/ATcb7sA7Cm