Long jumper Rutherford became only the fifth British athlete to hold the Grand Slam of outdoor major titles at the same time when he won a gold medal at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Beijing in August.

His victory, sealed with a fourth round jump of 8.41 metres, saw him join decathlete Daley Thompson, sprinter Linford Christie, hurdler Sally Gunnell and triple jumper Jonathan Edwards as Olympic, world, Commonwealth and European champions.

Rutherford, 28, received his award from Britain's newly-elected IAAF President Sebastian Coe, a keynote speaker at the European Athletics Convention which is currently taking place  in the Olympic capital

Sprinter Schippers joins Sweden’s Carolina Kluft, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic as double winners of the European female athlete of the year title.

The 23-year-old now stands alone however as the first woman to retain the title having won the award 12 months ago following her 100 and 200 metres double triumph at last year’s European Athletics Championships in Zurich.

In March, she won 60m gold at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague and then enjoyed further success at the World Championships in Beijing.

Schippers took 100m silver in a Dutchl record of 10.81sec behind Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and then produced the run of her life to win 200m gold in 21.63, the third fastest time in history and a European record.

Schippers was presented with her award by European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen, who welcomed his counterparts from the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, the IAAF, Coe, and European Olympic Committees, Patrick Hickey, to the Convention.

Poland’s Konrad Bukowiecki and Switzerland’s Noemi Zbären were also honoured during the ceremony as the rising stars of 2015

Bukowiecki has had a remarkable 2015, leading to his success as the male rising star, receiving his award from European Athletics vice-president Dobromir Karamarinov.

The 18-year-old Polish shot-putter had his crowning glory in July with gold at the European Athletics Junior Championships in Eskilstuna, Sweden in a year which has seen him break numerous records.

He was only 17 at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague when he finished sixth in the final, and broke the European junior shot put record in an event using the senior implement of 7.26 kilograms when he achieved the distance of 20.46m both in qualifying and in the final.

He had already broken the world junior indoor record with 22.38m, using the 6kg shot before his triumph in Eskilstuna.

In September, he broke the world junior all-time best with 20.78m, using the 7.26kg shot in Zagreb.

Zbären was named the women’s rising star after winning the 100m hurdles in a personal best time of 12.71 at the European Athletics Under-23 Championships in Tallinn in July.

A month later she took her superb form into the World Championships in Beijing, finishing sixth in the final in 12.95.

Christophe Seiler, President of Swiss Athletics, presented the award to Zbären.

All four winners received Golden Tracks trophies after topping the votes from fans, media, European Athletics Member Federations, as well as an expert European Athletics panel, with the results from each group of voters counting for one quarter of the athlete's final score.

More than 80,000 fans cast their votes on social media.


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