Tina Šutej and Kristjan Čeh were crowned Slovenian Athletes of the Year at the Slovenian Athletics Gala in Celje on Wednesday (19) evening.
Now 37, Šutej enjoyed her most successful season to date, winning medals at all three major championships she contested. She also helped Slovenia to promotion into the top flight of the European Athletics Team Championships for the first time with victory in the pole vault on home soil in the 2nd Division in Maribor.
After winning silver medals at both the European and World Athletics Indoor Championships in March, Šutej won her first major outdoor global medal at the age of 36, winning a popular bronze meal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Šutej was bestowed the accolade for the fifth time in her career ahead of European 10km bronze medallist Klara Lukan and triple jumper Neja Filipič who finished ninth at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
On the men’s side, Čeh was named Slovenian Athlete of the Year for the sixth time in a row, ahead of European U23 400m hurdles bronze medallist Matic Ian Guček and Slovenian 400m record-holder Rok Ferlan, both of whom made the semifinals of their respective event at the World Athletics Championships.
Despite falling short of the medals in the discus final at the World Athletics Championships in a competition which was marred by torrential rain, Ceh still enjoyed one of his best seasons to date.
Čeh broke the 70 metre-barrier five times and extended his national record to 72.36m to move to sixth on the world all-time list. He also won on home soil at the European Athletics Team Championships 2nd Division in Maribor, helping Slovenia to promotion into the top-tier in 2027.
Šutej’s coach Milan Kranjc was named the Coach of the Year. He also received the Slovenian Athletics gold plaque for 35 years of activity in athletics.