The European Athlete of the Year award is the biggest honor for athletes in track and field, road running, and cross-country running, and it was finally time to give it out this year. Ten impressive athletes were nominated in the men’s category, including Mykolas Alekna, Jordan Diaz, Mondo Duplantis, Leonardo Fabbri, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Markus Rooth, Gianmarco Tamberi, Miltiadis Tentoglou, and Karsten Warholm. With names like Jakob and Mondo in the mix, expectations were high for one of them to win. But it looks like it wasn’t Jakob’s day this time around!

On October 26th, Mondo Duplantis finally received the European Athlete of the Year award, a well-deserved honor for the pole vaulting sensation who, despite being born in America, proudly competes for Sweden. Remember the excitement from the Paris Olympics? Mondo made headlines by clearing an impressive 6.25 meters, and it felt like he was just getting warmed up. However, there was also a lot of buzz surrounding Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who had his own standout performances. Even though both athletes had outstanding achievements this year, Jakob didn’t walk away with the award. It raises the question: why was that the case?

Despite Mondo Duplantis’ win, Ingebrigtsen’s Olympic triumph raises questions!

Despite his triumph in the Paris Olympics, Mondo Duplantis did not rest in the Silesia Diamond League, where he not only broke a record but increased the bar to 6.26 meters. This makes him a 10x world record holder.

Incredible! How Mondo Duplantis had his first foray at the world record back in 2020 at the venue where this show is held, clearing 6.17 m in Torun, Poland, to break Renaud Lavillen’s record. Then, only in a week, he enhanced his record once more, and since then, it has been something of a house of cards that fell with no turning back in 2022 as well as in 2023 as well. But Jakob Ingebrigtsen was also making waves at that time around.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Jakob Ingebrigtsen made waves by winning gold in the 5000m, and just two weeks later, in diamond league Silesia, he stunned everyone by breaking the 7:20 barrier in the 3000m by clocking 7:17.55. This had been regarded as an unachievable event in the history of men’s track events, and he broke the oldest record therein. He is only 23 years old, and yet he is making his mark in history.

But it must have been a letdown for Jakob not to win the European of the Year this year; he has been winning it for two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023, though he shared it with Armand Duplantis in 2022. Still, it can be said that he is one of the top players, but very often, the statuette does not show the whole process of an athlete. Interestingly, it wasn’t just Jakob who felt the sting of disappointment; Femke Bol also experienced similar feelings regarding her own medal outcomes.

Despite high expectations, Femke Bol’s stellar year ends in disappointment

Among the impressive women nominated for the European Athlete of the Year award were some names, like Nadia Battocletti from Italy, Femke Bol and Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands, Keely Hodgkinson from Great Britain, Natalia Kaczmarek from Poland, Yaroslava Mahuchikh from Ukraine, Malaika Mihambo and Yemisi Ogunleye from Germany, Cyrena Samba-Mayela from France, and Nafissatou Thiam from Belgium. But even though Femke Bol had won the award in the past two years, 2022 and 2023, she still faced disappointment this time around.

But it was clinched by Yaroslava Mahuchikh from Ukraine; what a historic season she has proved herself by clinching the women’s European Athlete of the Year title! In this case, then, she did not disappoint by being the European champion, Olympic champion, and holder of the world record in the high jump with a height of 2.10 meters.

On the other hand, there was somewhat of a disappointment for Femke Bol, who was the favorite to clinch the trophy. She could have been the first woman to achieve this honorary title three times after winning it before. For Bol, it was a stunning year, as the athlete won two gold medals for the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow for 400 meters and 4×400 meters, as well as for the European Outdoor Championships in Rome for 400 meters hurdles and 4×400 meters.

At the Olympic Games in Paris, Bol shone brightly with three medals: the gold in the [mixed] 4×400 meters, the silver for 4×400 meters, and the bronze in the 400-meter hurdles. Besides, she set the new world record in the indoor 400 meters (49.17) and became the European record holder in 400 meters hurdles (50.95).

Bol wrapped up her season with a Diamond League victory, proving that she’s got the right stuff to shine in the spotlight! With that said, it’s important to remember that it’s not all about the awards; sometimes, the journey and the impact athletes make along the way hold just as much value as any title.