After three days of intense voting across our social media accounts, Germany’s Johannes Vetter and Femke Bol from the Netherlands are your Athletes of the Month for September 2020.
Vetter formed part of an illustrious short-list on the men’s side. He was nominated alongside world record-breakers Armand Duplantis from Sweden and Great Britain’s Mo Farah as well as Norway’s Karsten Warholm who now owns four of the ten fastest 400m hurdles times in history.
But Vetter was given the verdict in the men’s voting. He produced a phenomenal series of throws at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzow which was highlighted by a howitzer of a third round throw which hit the turf at 97.76m, the second longest throw in history with the current specification javelin after Jan Zelezny’s long-standing world record of 98.48m.
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) September 6, 2020
97.76m!
The second longest throw in history from @jojo_javelin! #ContinentalTourGoldpic.twitter.com/cHiSh4xLyV
Vetter also summoned up a fourth round throw of 94.84m before concluding his abbreviated but highly impressive summer season with victories on domestic soil in Dessau (86.17m) and Berlin (87.26m).
On the women’s side, Bol picks up this accolade for the first time in her career. The 20-year-old reigning European U20 champion set an early season world leading time of 53.79 to shatter the Dutch record and Bol concluded her breakthrough season with international victories in Ostrava, Bellinzona and Rome last month.
Bol clocked the second fastest 300m hurdles time in history in Ostrava with 38.55 before breaking the 54 second-barrier in the 400m hurdles for the second time in her career in the Rome Diamond League with 53.90.