from the AAI website Multiple World Champion Lornah Kiplagat and Ireland’s Martin Fagan have been voted the European Athletes of the Month for October on the back of their scintillating form on the road circuit. Kiplagat has really established herself as one of the all time greats of women’s road running, winning her third consecutive IAAF World Half Marathon title on the streets of Rio de Jeneiro, Brazil with ease.
The Dutch super star, clocked a stunning time of 68:37 to win over the half marathon distance adding to her victories in Udine, Italy last year and Debrecen, Hungary in 2006.
The 34-year-old who holds numerous world records, including the half marathon, still harbours ambitions on the track and will probably aim for the 10,000m at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2009.
Fagan on the other hand was the leading European in a number of top races in a world that seems to be dominated by athletes from Africa.
After becoming the first Irish marathoner to qualify for the Olympic Games since 1992, the 25-year-old made a big impact at the Great North Run in Newcastle, England on October 5th leading the Europeans home in 6th position in a high class 62:20.
Three weeks later he ran another huge PB to take second place in the Great South Run in Portsmouth, England running 10 miles (16.1km) in 46:58.
His next goal will be to improve on his 9th place finish at last years SPAR European Cross Country Championships at the next edition in Brussels.
The runners up in the womens poll were Britain’s Paula Radcliffe and Russia’s Nailya Yulamanova while Moldova’s Iaroslav Musinschi and Ukrainian Andriy Naumov took the minor placings on the men’s side.
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 will name a male and female winner each month and feature the athlete on the European Athletics website. Selections are based on votes by the public, the media and a panel of European Athletics experts with each counting for 33.3% of the final vote.
