Reigning European javelin champion Victoria Hudson has been voted Austrian Sportswoman of the Year across all sports.
Hudson, who won Austria’s first gold medal at the European Athletics Championships since 1971 with her victory in the javelin, received 676 votes for the accolade, topping the poll ahead of downhill skier Cornelia Hütter (652 votes) and Olympic climbing bronze medallist Jessica Pilz (562 votes).
“I’m very surprised,” said Hudson. “I didn’t expect that in my dreams. To have already been nominated for two categories - that surprised me greatly. My year couldn't have ended any better. I am proud and happy.”
Hudson becomes just the sixth athlete to win this accolade in award history after Liese Prokop (1969), Ilona Gusenbauer (1971), Theresia Kiesl (1996), Stephanie Graf (2000-01) and Ivona Dadic (2020).
Hudson won European javelin gold in Rome with her first throw, firing out a winning throw of 64.62m which withstood the efforts of Serbian youngster Adriana Vilagos who threw 64.42m in the third round.
This was just the third time Austria has won a gold medal at the European Athletics Championships with Hudson following in the footsteps of the aforementioned Liese Prokop who won pentathlon gold in 1969 before Ilona Gusenbauer won the high jump title in 1971.
"The warm-up was not particularly good. It is incredible for me that the first throw was actually the gold medal throw. I have been doing this for so many years now and I have always struggled at major championships. All the hard work paid off,” said Hudson after winning European javelin gold in Rome.