European Athletics is pleased to announce that the Russian race walking duo of Valeriy Borchin and Olga Kaniskina have been voted as the European Athletes of the Month for April.
Borchin, the reigning Olympic and world champion, won the International Race Walking Grand Prix in Rio Maior with a new course record of 1:18:55, while Kaniskina, who also holds the two most coveted titles, followed Borchin’s path and registered a solid win in 1:28:35 in Rio Maior. For these superlative performances they have been voted as the star performers for the month of April.
Portuguese distance runner Rui Silva, who registered an impressive European-leading time of 27:53.55 during his second place finish at the Trofeo Iberico 10000m in Pontevedra, Spain, took the second spot in the men’s poll. Dutch discus thrower Erik Cadée, who produced a 2011 world-leading mark and personal best of 66.95m in Chula Vista, California, was voted third.
European cross country champion Jessica Augusto of Portugal was voted second in the women’s poll. She made an impressive marathon debut at the prestigious Virgin London Marathon where she clocked a superb time of 2:24:33 for a fourth place finish, barely a minute outside Rosa Mota’s long-standing national record of 2:23:28 which was set at the Chicago Marathon in 1985.
British hurdler Tiffany Ofili, a silver medallist at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris, placed third in the poll. She showed good form in clocking a very quick but slightly wind-assisted time of 12.66 at the Drake Relays in Des Moises, United States.
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, the media and a panel of European Athletics experts with 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 European Athlete of the Month.