Jhon Castaneda is December’s Allianz Athlete of the Month

Jhon Castaneda has been voted the Allianz Athlete of the Month for December after a record-breaking performance at the World Para Powerlifting Americas Open Championships.

The Colombian set an Americas record of 212kg in the men’s over 107kg on his way to gold in front of a home crowd in Bogota.

Castaneda received 61 per cent of the public votes. Norway’s Nordic skier Vilde Nilsen was second with 34 per cent. Dutch wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot, Thai boccia player Worawut Saengampa and Georgian wheelchair fencer Irma Khetsuriani were also nominated.

The 2018 winners are:

January – Oksana Masters, USA, Nordic skiing

February – Mac Marcoux, CAN, alpine skiing

March (Best Male) – Brian McKeever, CAN, Nordic skiing

March (Best Female) – Ekaterina Rumyantseva, NPA, Nordic skiing

March (Best Team) – Chinese wheelchair curling team

April – Gemma Collis-McCann, GBR, wheelchair fencing

May – Sareh Javanmardi, IRI, shooting

June – Sevda Altunoluk, TUR, goalball

July – Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, IRI, sitting volleyball

August – Greg Polychronidis, GRE, boccia

September – Corne de Koning, NED, rowing

October – Japanese women’s goalball team

November – Olena Chynka, UKR, Para dance sport

December – Jhon Castaneda, COL, powerlifting