Christian Olsson celebrates winning the Triple Jump in Athens (© Getty Images)
Swedish triple jumper Christian Olsson and British middle distance runner Kelly Holmes have won the "Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year Trophy 2004".
In 2004, Olsson equalled the World Indoor Triple Jump record when winning that event at the World Indoor Championships, took the Olympic crown, and a share of the TDK Golden League Jackpot. This was the second successive year that he has won the European Athletic Association’s internet poll.
In Athens last summer, Holmes, 34, followed in the footsteps of Russia's Svetlana Masterkova who in 1996 had won the Olympic 800m and 1500m double, and spectacularly took the same pair of golds to top an injury troubled career.
The European Athlete of the Year internet poll on the EAA website, open to Member Federations, media and the public through three different voting forms, ended with a unanimous result for Olsson. All three groups had the Swede on top of the ranking. In the women’s contest, the battle was closer. Holmes was ranked first by the public and the Member Federations, while Russia’s Olympic Champion and World Record setting pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva gained top votes from the media representatives.
The award ceremony will take place on Thursday, 3 March 2005, on the eve of the European Athletic Indoor Championships in Madrid, Spain.
Results
Men
1 Olsson Christian SWE 3
2 Holm Stefan SWE 7
3 Sebrle Roman CZE 10
4 Korzeniowski Robert POL 17
5 Baldini Stefan ITA 18
6 Borzakovskiy Yuriy RUS 19
7 Obikwelu Francis POR 22
8 Olsen Joachim DEN 28
9 Thorkildsen Andreas NOR 29
10 Alekna Virgilijus LTU 31
Women
1 Holmes Kelly GBR 4
2 Isinbayeva Yelena RUS 6
3 Klueft Carolina SWE 8
4 Lebedeva Tatyana RUS 14
5 Slesarenko Yelena RUS 22
6 Halkia Fani GRE 28
7 Nerius Steffi GER 30
8 Radcliffe Paula GBR 32
9 Feofanova Svetlana RUS 34
10 Abeylegesse Elvan TUR 37
