European Athletics (EAA) – News – Lemaitre and Lalova voted European Athletes of the Month for June

European Athletics is pleased to announce that the sprint duo of Christophe Lemaitre of France and Ivet Lalova of Bulgaria have been voted as the European Athletes of the Month for June.

Lemaitre, who became the first man in the history of the European Athletics Championships to complete the treble of 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold in Barcelona last year, has only gained in strength this year. He won the 100m title at the SPAR European Team Championships in Stockholm with a new national record of 9.95 and two weeks later equalled his feat at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne when finishing second behind Jamaican Asafa Powell.

Sprint star Lalova maintained her red-hot form throughout the month of June and registered impressive performances at the European Team Championships Second League in Novi Sad, the Diamond League meeting in Oslo and at an event in Bursa. She leads the European season’s list in both 100 and 200m.

For their memorable performances during the month of June, they have been voted as European Athletes of the Month after scores of athletics fans from across Europe cast their votes.

Belgium’s 400m runner Jonathan Borlee was voted second behind Lemaitre after he clocked a European-leading time of 45.04 in Strasbourg at the start of the month and no other European athlete except for his brother Kevin (45.37) came anywhere close to him.

Great Britain’s Mo Farah added to his growing list of accolades when he set a European record of 26:46.57 for the 10000m in Eugene and for this performance he was voted third on the list of nominees.

Lalova drew lots of fan votes from across the continent following her impressive start to the season when she clocked a European leading time of 11.08 and 22.66 for the 100m and 200m in Izmir. She finished in the women’s poll ahead of world and European heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis of Great Britain, who notched up a world-leading score of 6790 points to win the title at the Hypo-Meeting in Götzis.

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.

European Athletics names a male and female winner each month and features the athlete 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% of the final vote. No athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban can be nominated for or win the European Athlete of the Month award.

European Athletics (EAA) – News