Liz Birchall and Sue Maughan received recognition at the European Athletics Golden Track Awards on Saturday (21) October.

Head of Communications at UK Athletics, Liz Birchall, received a European Athletics Member Federation Award, while Sue Maughan – an international Technical Official – received a Women’s Leadership Award.

The Member Federation award is given on an annual basis to individuals who have dedicated a number of years of service to their national federation and the sport.

Birchall has worked at UK Athletics since 2005, covering four Olympic Games and multiple major Championships during that period. Since November 2012 she has held the role of Head of Communications at UKA, and also held the same role for the highly successful World Athletics Championships and World Para Athletics Championships London 2017.

Starting off her career writing for Athletics Weekly in the late 90s before becoming their Publisher, Birchall has dedicated years of service to the sport.

Sue Maughan received the Women’s Leadership award which recognises and celebrates female leaders in the sport of athletics.

UKA nominated Maughan – one of the highest-ranked officials in world athletics – for the award due to her many accomplishments as a Technical Official in the UK and internationally. Earlier this year, Maughan was confirmed as a World Para Athletics International Technical Official (WPA ITO) for the next four-year cycle (2023-2026), a highly prestigious role in the sport.

Maughan has held officiating roles at the biggest athletics events in recent years, including National Technical Delegate at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Competition Director at the 2023 UK Indoor Championships.

Jack Buckner, CEO at UK Athletics said, “We are very happy to see both Liz and Sue recognised by European Athletics at these awards. These are prestigious accolades to receive, and I would like to extend my thanks to both Liz and Sue for their huge commitment to the sport.”

Vice President of European Athletics, and UKA’s Strategic Lead for Major Events, Cherry Alexander, said, “I am so pleased that Liz and Sue have been recognised at the European Athletics Golden Track awards following years of dedication and service to the sport. They have both been valuable individuals playing key roles in their respective areas in the sport, so it is fantastic news for them to receive this continental honour.”