Vote now for the Allianz Athlete of the Month – August 2016

The public has until 6 September to vote for their favourite from the four candidates. 30 Aug 2016

Four Para athletes have been shortlisted for the Allianz Athlete of the Month poll for August 2016: Ekrem Gundogdu, Hannah Cockroft, Mehdi Jemali and Heinrich Popow.

ⒸGetty Images, IFCPF, Malmö Lady and Men Intercup

By IPC

Four Para athletes have been shortlisted for the Allianz Athlete of the Month poll for August 2016, and the public is now invited to vote for their winner via www.paralympic.org.

The nominations are:

Hannah Cockroft, GBR, athletics

Cockroft clocked a new best in the women’s 800m T34 at the Godiva Classic meeting in Coventry, Great Britain. Her time of 1:56.89 puts her back at the top of the world rankings after her US rival Alexa Halko set a then-world record (2:01.83) at the 2016 US Paralympic Team Trials in June.

Ekrem Gundogdu, TUR, goalball

Gundogdu helped the Turkish men’s goalball team defeat Germany for the gold medal at the 2016 Malmo Men Intercup, one of the last major events before the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. He was Turkey’s top scorer with 28 goals, as Turkey won the event for the second straight year.

Mehdi Jemali, IRI, football 7-a-side

Jemali scored 12 goals overall at the 2016 International Federation for Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) World Championships Qualification Tournament, helping Iran take the gold medal and secure their place for the 2017 World Championships.

Heinrich Popow, GER, athletics

Popow extended his world record mark in the men’s long jump T42. He leapt 6.77m at a meet in Leverkusen, Germany, adding five centimetres on to the mark he set in early July.

The public has until 12:00 (CEST) on Tuesday (6 September) to vote for the athlete they want to be the Allianz Athlete of the Month for August 2016 via the www.paralympic.org homepage.

The nominations are compiled from submissions by National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) and International Federations (IFs).

The 2016 winners so far are:

•January – Abdullah Sultan Alaryani, United Arab Emirates, shooting

•February – Andrey Smirnov, Russia, wheelchair curling

•March – Stephen McGuire, Great Britain, boccia

•April – Carlos Serrano, Colombia, swimming

•May – Shelby Watson, Great Britain, athletics

•June – Elena Krawzow, Germany, swimming

•July – Richard Whitehead, Great Britain, athletics