European Athletics (EAA) – News – Austria, The Netherlands and Sweden name their Athletes of the Year

In a vote organised by the Austrian athletics federation, 2010 European Athletics Championships 1500m finalist Andreas Vojta and world mountain running champion Andrea Mayr were voted as their country’s 2010 athletes of the year.

Vojta, still only 21 and a potential medal contender at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships this coming summer in Ostrava, Czech Republic, reduced his personal bests over 800m, 1500m and 3000m this year.

Mayr not only won the WMRA World Championships in Kamnik, Slovenia, in September – her third global title after wins in 2006 and 2008 – but took the WMRA Grand Prix title as well for her season-long consistency.

Austria’s Young Athlete of the Year award went to Jennifer Wenth, who set national junior records over 1500m and 3000m and also reached the final of both events at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada, in July.

The Dutch male Athlete of the Year is 2010 European Athletics Championships decathlon silver medallist Eelco Sintnicolaas, who produced six personal bests in individual events in Barcelona en-route to another personal best 8436 points at the end of the two days of competition in the Catalan city.

Another Barcelona silver medallist, 800m runner Yvonne Hak, is The Netherlands’ 2010 female Athlete of the Year while the Young Athlete of the Year award went to World Junior Championships heptathlon winner Dafne Schippers.

The 38th Athlete of the Year vote in Sweden was won by high jumper Emma Green, who set a personal best of 2.01m when taking the silver medal at the European Athletics Championships, her country’s only medal in Barcelona.

She was followed in the voting by triple jumper Christian Olsson and high jumper Linus Thörnblad. It was a hat-trick for coach Yannick Tregaro as he is the mentor to all three of the athletes.