Fionnuala Britton named European Athlete for the month of December

Back at the start of January I had a post up about Fionnuala Britton having been nominated as the European Athlete of the month for December 2011. It now looks as if all of those votes counted as the European Athletics website made the following announcement today (Thurs 19th Jan 2012)........

European Athletics is pleased to announce that the 2011 SPAR European Cross Country Championships winner Fionnuala Britton of Ireland has been voted as the European Athlete of the Month for December. Britton just missed out on a medal in Portugal in 2010 but made sure there was no repeat in Velenje when she ran away with the race from the half-way mark and was never seriously threatened, clinching Ireland’s second senior women’s gold medal in the history of these championships.

For her commanding performance in Velenje, Britton has been voted as European Athlete of the Month for December. Great Britain’s Emma Pallant, who won the under 23 race in Velenje after making a decisive move with one kilometre remaining, finished second in the women’s poll. Portugal’s Ana Dulce Felix, who finished second behind Britton in the senior women’s race in Velenje and followed it up with a superb run to win at the traditional Sao Silvestre do Lisboa over 10km on 31 December, was voted third.

European Athletics’ monthly poll received overwhelming support from thousands of athletics fans and media alike this month from across the continent. 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. A male and female winner each month is named and featured 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 percent of the final vote.

The mens athlete of the month was Belgium’s Atelaw Bekele