Elvan Abeylegesse voted Female Athlete of the month
World 10,000m Championship silver medallist Elvan Abeylegesse has been voted the female European Athlete of the Month for April on the back of her outstanding performance at the European Cup 10,000m in Istanbul.
Abeylegesse has really made this event her own, winning her third consecutive title in front of her delirious home fans in Istanbul in a then European leading time of 31:27.05.
Elvan Abeylegesse (Right)
Still a relative youngster at 25, the former world 5,000m record holder will be a formidable opponent to all comers in the Olympic 10,000m final in August where she will be hoping to go one better than the World Championships in Osaka last year.
The runners-up in the women's poll were Germany's London Marathon winner Irina Mikitenko and Lativan 400m runner Ieva Zunda
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. The winners will automatically be short listed for the European Athlete of the Year Award.
