Jodie Williams voted women’s 2011 European Athletics Rising Star

Jodie Williams Euro Rising Star 2011

British sprint sensation Jodie Williams is the 2011 winner of the women’s European Athletics Rising Star award presented by MONDO.

The world junior champion burned up the track in the women’s 100m final at the European Athletics Junior Championships in Tallinn in July to take gold in 11.18, a championships record by three hundredths of a second and a national junior record for the teenager.

Just 24 hours after taking the 100m title, she powered to the 200m gold in a season’s best 22.94. The 18-year-old capped the event by anchoring the Great Britain and NI 4x100m relay team to a bronze medal at the Kadriorg Stadium in the Estonian capital.

Williams has already amassed an impressive collection of titles, including world youth, world junior and now a European junior title not won by a Briton since Sonia Lannaman 38 years ago.

Earlier this year, in March, Williams came agonisingly close to a surprise medal on her senior debut at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris, finishing fourth in the 60 metres, just one hundredth of a second behind bronze medallist Ezinne Okparaebo of Norway.

Williams will be presented with her European Athletics Rising Star award at the European Athletics Awards Night in Arona, Spain, on Saturday 15 October alongside the men’s Rising Star winner David Storl of Germany, and the European Athlete of the Year winners.

The men’s and women’s winners of the European Athlete of the Year will be announced next week.

Fans, media and European Athletics Member Federations were invited to vote for the European Athletics Rising Star on the European Athletics website. Along with the votes from a panel of experts, each group of voters’ results counted for one quarter of the athlete’s final score.

The shortlist for the award included stars from this year’s World Championships, European under-23 and junior championships, World Youth Championships, and other young athletes who performed exceptionally well this year.

No athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban can be nominated for the European Athletics Rising Star award.

Women’s 2011 European Athletics Rising Star presented by MONDO final rankings:

1.       Jodie Williams (GBR)
2.       Dafne Schippers (NED)
3.       Darya Klishina (RUS)
4.       Angelica Bengtsson (SWE)
5.       Maria Kuchina (RUS)
6.       Amela Terzic (SRB)
7.       Gesa Felicitas Krause (GER)
8.       Christin Hussong (GER)
9.       Kate Veale (IRL)
10.   Yelena Arzhakova (RUS)
11.   Layesh Abdullayeva (AZE)
12.   Bianca Perie (ROU)
13.   Charlotte Purdue (GBR)
14.   Elena Lashmanova (RUS)
15.   Barbara Spiler (SLO)

Previous women’s Rising Star winners:

2010 Sandra Perkovic (CRO)
2009 Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (NOR)
2008 Stephanie Twell (GBR)
2007 Jessica Ennis (GBR)
Personal bests: Jodie Williams

Outdoor:

100m – 11.18 Tallinn Jul 2011

200m – 22.79 Loughborough 23 May 2010

Indoor:

60m: 7.21 Paris 5 Mar 2011
2011 season: Jodie Williams

60 m

100 m

200 m