The European Athletics Golden Tracks award ceremony took place in Lausanne, Switzerland, where European Athletics announced the continent's top athletes for the 2026 season. The prestigious individual awards featured the strongest representatives of European athletics, with winners determined through a comprehensive voting process involving fans, national federations, media representatives, and an expert panel. Among the nominees for the women's award was Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, though she did not make the final top three.
Audrey Werro: The New Queen of the 800 Meters
The title of European Women's Athlete of the Year was claimed by 24-year-old Swiss runner Audrey Werro, who beat out Italy's Nadia Battocletti and Britain's Amy Hunt in the final vote. Werro delivered one of the most impressive seasons in 800-meter history: her personal best of 1:53.70 is just 0.42 seconds shy of the world record set by Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvílová way back in 1983. Over the course of the season, the Swiss runner captured the continental title at the European Championships in Birmingham and triumphed at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, which proved to be the deciding factor in her favor during the voting.
Gianmarco Tamberi: First Italian in History to Win the Award
In the men's category, 34-year-old Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi took home the European Men's Athlete of the Year award, defeating Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis and breaking his two-year hegemony in this category. In 2026, Tamberi secured a record fourth European Championship title in Birmingham and then triumphed at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest, recording a world-leading season mark of 2.37 meters. Consequently, Gianmarco became the first Italian representative in history to receive the European Athlete of the Year title from European Athletics.
Mahuchikh: Three Titles, But No Main Award
Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh made the top ten nominees for the women's award but failed to secure a spot among the final three. Meanwhile, during the 2026 season, the Ukrainian athlete claimed the European indoor and outdoor titles, as well as winning at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest. Despite such an impressive collection of accolades, the main European individual prize went to Audrey Werro. The Golden Tracks voting mechanism relies on a combined vote of fans, national federations, media, and experts, making the outcome largely subjective and dependent on the overall perception of the season rather than just a tally of titles.
The Ukrainian Footprint in Award History
Ukrainian athletes have previously won European Athletics awards twice. In 2013, high jumper Bohdan Bondarenko won the men's award, and in 2024, the women's award was claimed by Yaroslava Mahuchikh herself. Thus, in 2026, despite securing three gold medals during the season, the Ukrainian star was unable to repeat her own 2024 achievement. The ceremony in Lausanne concluded with a solemn presentation of awards, and Tamberi, as seen in footage from the event, celebrated his victory wrapped in the Italian tricolor, highlighting the historic significance of this recognition for Italian athletics.
