European Athletics (EAA) – News – Who were the best European male and female athletes in December?

The highlight of December was the 2012 SPAR European Cross Country Championships which were held just outside the Hungarian capital Budapest in the town of Szentendre, on 9 December.

All six winners there, in bitterly cold conditions with snow and ice underfoot, are among the nominees for the last European Athlete of the Month of 2012.

In addition, the year came to a close with a number of other high level road and cross country races around the continent.

European Athletics is consequently pleased to announce that athletes from 14 different countries have been nominated for the December award.

At the end of each month, a panel of experts produces a shortlist 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.

The public, media and a group of expert statisticians will cast their votes in the poll on the European Athletics website, 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 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.

Vote here.

European Athletics (EAA) – News