Serrano receives Allianz Athlete of the Month for April

Colombia’s 17-year-old swimming sensation Carlos Serrano has been named the Allianz Athlete of the Month for April.

Serrano broke the 100m breaststroke SB7 world record at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games Test Event, en-route to winning the event. He shaved nearly one second off his own world best set in Merida, Mexico, in November, swimming 1:14.72. He will return to the same pool in September for the Paralympics, where he will hope to bring the mark down again and win his first Paralympic gold.

Serrano received 46 per cent of the public votes. South African equestrian rider Philippa Johnson-Dwyer was second with 32 per cent and Great Britain’s swimmer Ellie Simmonds (12 per cent) was third. French archer Maxime Guerin and Swiss wheelchair racer Marcel Hug were also nominated.

The 2016 winners 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