Today (16) marks the five days to go countdown to the glittering Golden Tracks award ceremony in Vilnius, Lithuania where Europe’s outstanding athletes will be crowned.
Who will be crowned this year’s men's and women's European Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars? Tune in live on our YouTube channel from 8.30pm local time (EEST) on Saturday (21) when the winners will be revealed and presented with their trophies!
Women’s European Athlete of the Year finalists
- Femke Bol (NED)
- Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR)
- Maria Perez (ESP)
This triumvirate won seven gold medals from major global and European competitions in 2023.
And if Femke Bol wins, she will follow in the footsteps of her compatriot Dafne Schippers who was crowned women’s European Athlete of the Year in back-to-back years in 2014-15.
Men’s European Athlete of the Year finalists
- Armand Duplantis (SWE)
- Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)
- Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE)
To underline their season-by-season brilliance, the same three finalists from last year have made the final three this year.
All three athletes won gold medals at the World Athletics Championships. Duplantis also set two world pole vault records (6.22m, 6.23m) while Ingebrigtsen broke the world two-mile best (7:54.10) and the world 2000m record (4:43.13).
Ingebrigtsen and Tentoglou also kickstarted their seasons by defending their gold medals at the Istanbul 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
Women’s Rising Star finalists
- Rhasidat Adeleke (IRL)
- Agate Caune (LAT)
- Angelina Topic (SRB)
How do you choose between three of Europe’s brightest prospects in their respective events? Still a relative newcomer in the 400m, Adeleke finished the season as the European leader in her event and Irish record-holder at 49.20.
Caune stormed to a 3000/5000m double at the European Athletics U20 Championships while Topic followed up her European U20 title by reaching the high jump final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Men’s Rising Star finalists
- Mattia Furlani (ITA)
- Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen (NOR)
- Niels Laros (NED)
After just missing out two years ago to Mykolas Alekna, will one of last year’s finalists Mattia Furlani and Niels Laros go one better this year?
Or will Norway’s rising 400m star Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen follow in the footsteps of Karsten Warholm and Jakob Ingebrigtsen and be crowned men’s Rising Star?
In addition to the main awards, outstanding and influential figures behind the scenes will also be presented with awards at the Golden Tracks.
The first winners of the annual Member Federation and Coaching Awards will be presented with their awards on-stage along with the first recipient of the bi-annual Women’s Leadership Award.
A special fair-play award will also be presented during the Golden Tracks award ceremony.