Keely Hodgkinson and Phoebe Gill shortlisted for European Athletics Awards

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The finalists for European Athlete of the Year and Rising Star have been announced following a four-part voting process that narrowed down an initial list of 10 athletes

Keely Hodgkinson has been listed as a finalist for the prestigious European Athletics Women’s Athlete of the Year award, marking a standout season for the 22-year-old.

Her crowning achievement came in Paris, where she delivered a dominant performance to secure the Olympic gold medal in the 800m, clocking 1:56.72 whilst in full control at the Stade de France.

However, her success wasn’t confined to the Olympics. In Rome, she successfully defended her European Championship title, winning in 1:58.65, despite struggling with illness.

Keely Hodgkinson: the making of a champion

Adding to her remarkable season, Hodgkinson set a new British record with a blistering 1:54.62 at the London Diamond League, finishing ahead of Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell. Her time is the fastest by a European since Jarmila Kratochvílová set the world record of 1:53.28 in 1983.

Hodgkinson is nominated alongside two other Paris gold medallists: Femke Bol and Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

Bol is aiming for her third consecutive European Athlete of the Year title, having won in both 2022 and 2023.

This year, she has set a world indoor record in the 400m with a time of 49.17 whilst also anchoring the Dutch team to victory in the 4x400m relay.

Bol’s achievements continued with gold in both the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay at the European Championships, as well as a new European record of 50.95 in the 400m hurdles. At the Paris Olympics, she earned her first Olympic gold in the mixed 4x400m, alongside bronze in the 400m hurdles and silver in the women’s 4x400m relay.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh made history by breaking Stefka Kostadinova’s long-standing world record of 2.09m with a 2.10m clearance at the Diamond League in Paris.

The 23-year-old went on to claim gold at both the European Championships and the Paris Olympics.

The finalists for the men’s European Athlete of the Year award include Mondo Duplantis, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and Miltiadis Tentoglou, all of whom won gold medals at the World Indoor Championships, European Championships, and the Paris Olympics.

Three and easy for Mondo Duplantis

Duplantis continued to push the pole vault boundaries, setting a new world record of 6.24m at the Xiamen Diamond League. He went on to break his own record twice more, in Paris with a stunning vault of 6.25m, and later reaching 6.26m at the Silesia Diamond League.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, meanwhile, secured the 1500m and 5000m double at the European Championships, making him the most successful male athlete in championship history with six gold medals.

After narrowly missing the podium with a fourth-place finish in the 1500m in Paris, he rebounded by winning gold in the 5000m. Later in the season, the Norwegian shattered the 3000m world record in Silesia, clocking 7:17.55 and breaking Daniel Komen’s long-standing record by three seconds.

Miltiadis Tentoglou added to his growing list of long jump titles, bringing his total to 11 major championships. His season was highlighted by a world-leading jump of 8.65m at the European Championships, where he also set a new championship record on his way to securing his third gold medal in the event.

In the women’s Rising Star category, Britain’s Phoebe Gill has emerged as a finalist after an outstanding season. The 17-year-old made headlines with her impressive 800m run at the Belfast Irish Milers Meet, clocking 1:57.86 to shatter the European U18 record by nearly two seconds.

Phoebe Gill: “Ever since running 1:57, I’ve felt older”

Her victory at the British Championships in Manchester earned her a spot on Team GB’s Olympic squad for Paris. As the youngest member of the team, Gill reached the semi-finals of the 800m, a significant milestone in her early career.

Joining Gill as a finalist is Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos, who secured her second consecutive European silver medal in the javelin at just 20 years old. She set a new Serbian national record with a throw of 64.42m.

Croatia’s Jana Koscak rounds out the trio of female finalists. Despite withdrawing from the 2023 European U20 Championships due to injury, she made a triumphant comeback by winning the World U20 heptathlon gold in Lima.

On the men’s side, the finalists include Czech’s Tomas Jarvinen, who claimed the World U20 decathlon title. His total of 8425 points propelled him to second on the world U20 all-time list.

Also in contention is Cyprus’ Iosif Kesidis, who made history in Lima by winning the hammer throw title with a personal best and national U20 record of 82.80m. His victory, which was won by more than seven metres, marked Cyprus’ first-ever gold medal in the 38-year history of the event.

Rounding out the finalists is Niels Laros from the Netherlands, shortlisted for the third consecutive year. The 19-year-old finished sixth in the Olympic 1500m final with a time of 3:29.54, breaking Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s European U20 record of 3:30.16.

With awards season in full swing, AW will be hosting our own awards, giving readers the opportunity to vote for your favourite athletes from the 2024 season.

The official shortlists will be revealed in our November issue, available on October 31.

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