Bondarenko and Hejnova Athletes of July

Zuzana Hejnova

European Athletics is pleased to announce that Ukrainian high jumper Bohdan Bondarenko and the Czech Republic’s star hurdler Zuzana Hejnová have been voted as European Athletes of the Month for July.

The Ukraine’s Bondarenko has been in sensational form this season and winning the European Athlete of the Month award for a third time in a row is a testimony to that. He jumped a national record and world-leading height of 2.41m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on 4 July, the best height in the world for 19 years, and followed that performance with a 2.38m clearance in London on 27 July.

Hejnová, the London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist, ran two European-leading and Czech-record times, firstly 53.23 at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Paris on 6 July then 53.07 in London on 27 July.

Both Bondarenko and Hejnová have, of course, since gone on to win gold in their respective disciplines at the ongoing IAAF World Championships in Moscow.

Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Mo Farah ran a European record, this time in a shorter distance over 1500m, clocking 3:28.81 at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco on July 19, and also won a quick 3000m in 7:36.85 in London on 28 July. For his performances the Briton was voted second in the men’s poll.

French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, who cleared a world-leading 6.02m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in London on 28 July, was voted third. He had three other competitions where he cleared 5.92m or higher this month.

Icelandic prodigy Anita Hinriksdottir, who became her country’s first global athletics champion when she won the 800m title at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Donetsk, following this up with an impressive win at the European Athletics Junior Championships in Rieti, was voted second in the women’s poll.

She was followed by 2012 Olympic discus champion Sandra Perkovic of Croatia who remains unbeaten this year and had another two wins in July, throwing a world-leading 68.96m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on 4 July.

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. No athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban can be nominated for the European Athlete of the Month.

Previous winners: