Shobukhova and Szost voted European Athletes of the Month for October | 01.12.2011

Liliya Shobukhova is the women's European Athlete of the Month for October.

Shobukova, 34, became the second fastest women's marathon runner ever when she clocked 2:18:20 to win the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Only Briton Paula Radcliffe has registered a better time than the Russian when she clocked 2:15:25 at the London Marathon in 2003.

Poland’s Henryk Szost ran a personal best of 2:09:39 at the BMW Frankfurt Marathon, the third best European marathon time of 2011.

For their memorable performances during the month of October, they have been voted as European Athletes of the Month after scores of athletics fans from across the continent cast their votes.

Anastasiya Yatsevich of Belarus who won the 10km at the 20th edition of the international walking meeting in Grodno, crossing the line in a personal best of 44:07 for the eighth fastest European time of the year finished second in the women’s poll. Italian marathon runner Nadia Ejjafini who took more than 11 minutes off her personal best for the distance when she clocked 2:26:15 at the Frankfurt Marathon, finished third.

In the men’s poll, Ireland’s Alistair Cragg, who ran a personal best of 47:14 for 10 miles in Portsmouth, the second fastest time by a European in 2011, came second followed by French hammer prodigy Quentin Bigot.

The 2011 European Athletics Junior Championships gold medallist Bigot threw a French junior record of 82.84m at the French Clubs' Cup in Evry-Bondoufle, the second best throw ever by a junior with the 6kg implement.

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 and features the athlete on the European Athletics website.

Selections are based on votes by the public, media and a panel of European Athletics experts – each counting for 33.3% of the final vote. No athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban can be nominated for or win the European Athlete of the Month award.

Previous winners:
January: Ivan Ukhov (RUS) Jessica Ennis (GBR)
February: Teddy Tamgho (FRA) Antonietta Di Martino (ITA)
March: Zigismunds Sirmais (LAT) Charlotte Purdue (GBR)
April: Valeriy Borchin (RUS)n Olga Kaniskina (RUS)
May: Christophe Lemaitre (FRA) Betty Heidler (GER)
June: Christophe Lemaitre (FRA) Ivet Lalova (BUL)
July: Ahmet Arslan (TUR) Darya Klishina (RUS)
Sepetmber: Robert Harting (GER) Anna Chicherova (RUS)

Note: There were no polls for the month of August due to voting for the European Athlete of the Year.