Lysova Voted IPC’s 'Athlete of the Month' for April

World and Paralympic champion Russia’s Mikhalina Lysova has been voted by the public as the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) “Athlete of the Month” for April 2011.

The visually impaired biathlete and cross-country skier won four gold and three silver medals at the 2011 IPC Biathlon & Cross-Country Skiing World Championships at the beginning of April in Khanty Mansyisk, Russia.

Together with her guide Alexey Ivanov, Lysova dominated the Biathlon Pursuit, finishing more than one minute ahead of second place Oksana Shyshkova from Ukraine. Lysova won another Biathlon gold medal in the Long Distance race.

In Cross-Country Skiing, Lysova finished first in the sprint race, and claimed gold in the relay, together with her team mates Maria Iovleva and Elena Remizova.

Mikhalina Lysova was voted IPC’s “Athlete of the Month” following a poll on the IPC’s official Facebook page www.facebook.com/paralympicsport.tv receiving 36% percent of all votes.

Along with Lysova, five other athletes were shortlisted for the IPC “Athlete of the Month” in April:

Wakako Tsuchida (Japan) – The Japanese Wheelchair racer took home her fifth consecutive victory at the Boston marathon and finished in the fastest time ever recorded in the Women’s wheelchair division.

Ahmed Kelly (Australia) – broke the World record in the 100m breaststroke (class SB3) at the 2011 Australian Swimming Championships.

Esther Vergeer (The Netherlands) – Extended her Wheelchair Tennis winning streak to 415 matches, Esther claimed the Florida Open title in early April and then went on to win the ITF World Team Cup together with her team mates from The Netherlands.

David Weir (Great Britain) – won the Virgin London Marathon for the fifth time proving his reputation as one of the world's best wheelchair racers.

Benoit Huot (Canada) – The Canadian won seven medals at the Can Am Swimming Championships at the University of Minnesota beginning of April, five of them were gold.