Spikes12 Dec 2014


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SPIKES SPOTY

‘tis the season where athletes are honoured for their sporting achievements of the past twelve months. Valerie Adams and Renaud Lavillenie were deservedly crowned World Athletes of the Year; but in true SPIKES style, we want to celebrate athletes not just for their results on the track, but for the way they showcased our sport.

We've picked four personalities from the world of track and field who we feel have shown once again why athletics is the greatest sport on earth. Whoever gets the most retweets on their post by Friday 19 December 10am GMT wins our inaugural SPIKES Personality of the Year award. Here are the nominees.

Alysia (and Linnea) Montaño

In June 2014, just like in any other year, Alysia Montaño lined up alongside America's fastest two-lap runners to defend her US 800m outdoor title. However, one thing was different: Montaño was 34 weeks pregnant. She finished last in her heat in 2:32.35, but definitely got the world talking.

We applaud Montaño for her stance in encouraging mothers-to-be to remain fit throughout pregnancy. Read her full story here.

Benn Harradine

He throws iPhones, avocados and smelly fish, wears flashy outfits and stylish hats, and is all about bringing the fun back to the field. 2014 has been the year Benn Harradine, Oceania record-holder in the discus, showed it’s important not to take yourself too seriously. He also writes poetry and likes to sing (that's the post-athletics career sorted).

The eccentric Aussie Harradine totally deserves a spot on our shortlist. Read his full story here.

Maggie Vessey

Forget Kim Kardashian, US middle-distance star Maggie Vessey nearly broke the internet with the incredible, self-designed race uniforms she wore on the track circuit this season. Vessey's confident clothing is all the more impressive when you consider they only came about after her kit sponsor contract came to an end in 2013.

We’re still debating which outfit is our favourite, but kudos to Vessey for seizing an opportunity to bring fashion back to the track. Read her full story here.

Julius Yego

Last year, thousands of athletics fans from around the world were left devastated after Julius Yego narrowly missed out on an historic World Championships medal in the final round of throws in Moscow. In 2014, however, the Kenyan came back stronger than ever to write history: at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow Yego became the first Kenyan EVER to win a major javelin title. 

The incredible part of his story? He’s got no regular coach, hardly any equipment and first learned to throw watching YouTube videos. We salute Yego for reminding us of the egalitarian nature of athletics. Read his full story here.

On your marks, get set, retweet!