European Athletics is pleased to announce that the 2012 SPAR European Cross Country Championships’ senior women title winner Fionnuala Britton of Ireland has been voted as the European Athlete of the Month for December. Britton, 28, defended her continental title with aplomb in a tactically perfect race in Budapest to become the first senior women to manage back-to-back victories at the event.
Serbia’s 2012 World Junior Championships 1500m silver medallist Amela Terzic won her country’s first gold medal at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships with a win in the junior women’s race and for her feat was voted second in the women’s poll.
Terzic was followed by Portugal’s Sara Moreira, who had two good wins on the road in three days in December. She won the Sao Silvestre de Lisboa 10km in 32:19 on 29 December and the Sao Silvestre da Amadora 10km in 32:42 two days later.
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.