Sophie up for Euro award

Sophie has been nominated for the 2010 European Athletics Rising Star Awards - the title won by current World and European heptathlon gold medalist Ennis three years ago.

The 19-year-old won the hammer in Moncton, Canada with her last throw of a superb final in July, setting a new national junior record of 66.01m.

And she is now up for the Rising Star award, with voting taking place on the European Athletics website at http://www.european-athletics.org/european-athletics-awards-night/european-athletics-rising-star-awards-nominations-for-2010-3.html until September 24th.

The shortlist includes stars from this year’s World Junior Championships and Youth Olympic Games, and other young athletes who performed exceptionally well this year.

Winners will be decided by votes from the general public, media, European Athletics Member Federations, and a panel of experts, with the results from each group of voters counting for one quarter of the athlete’s final score.

The winners of the European Athletics Rising Star Awards, along with the winners of the European Athlete of the Year Awards, will be invited to receive their awards during the European Athletics Convention in Budapest on Saturday, October 16th.

European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz said: “I think you will find a number of future Olympic and world champions on the nomination form and we look forward to seeing who will win the European Athletics Rising Star Awards for 2010.”

Sophie is up against fellow Brit Jodie Williams, Elena Mirela Lavric of Romania, Ireland’s Ciara Mageean, Isabelle Pedersen of Norway, Belarussian Katsiaryna Artsiukh, Angelica Bengtsson of Sweden, Sandra Perkovic of Croatia, Darya Klishina of Russia, Montenegran Marija Vukovic, Utriainen Sanni of Finland and Antonella Palmisano of Italy.