Fabio Torres named Americas ‘Athlete of the Month’

Fabio Torres has been chosen as Americas ‘Athlete of the Month’ for December after receiving 57 per cent of the public vote.

The Colombian powerlifter lifted 218kg on his second attempt in the men’s up to 97kg at the Americas Open Championships on home soil to outdo his silver medal performance from 2015 and claim his first continental title.

Brazilian Nordic skier Cristian Ribera ended second with 38 per cent. He was followed by Venezuelan powerlifter Oriana Teran and the Argentinian men’s wheelchair basketball team.

The nominations were compiled from submissions by National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from across the continent.

The 2018 Americas Athlete of the Month winners were:

• January – Fernando Fuentes, El Salvador, swimming

• February – Brenna Huckaby, USA, snowboard

• March – Cristian Ribera, Brazil, Nordic skiing

• April – Daniela Gimenez, Argentina, swimming

• May – Juan Carlos Garrido, Chile, powerlifting

• June – Francisca Mardones, Chile, athletics

• July – Claudia Romero, Mexico, taekwondo

• August – Euclides Grisales, Colombia, boccia

• September – Giselle Munoz, Argentina, table tennis

• October – Camila Haase, Costa Rica, swimming

• November – Pilar Jauregui, Peru, badminton

• December – Fabio Torres, Colombia, powerlifting