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

Five para-athletes have been shortlisted for the Allianz Athlete of the Month poll for January 2016, and the public are now invited to vote for their winner via the IPC's homepage.

The nominations are:

Abdulla Sultan Alaryani, United Arab Emirates, shooting

Alaryani stormed to two individual golds and one silver medal at the opening World Cup of the season, at home in Al Ain.

Giacomo Bertagnolli, Italy, alpine skiing

Bertagnolli edged Russia’s world champion Valerii Redkozubov in men’s giant slalom visually impaired at the World Cup in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. The maiden win kicked off a series of podium finishes for the 17-year-old at three subsequent World Cups, including a further two victories, with guide Fabrizio Casal.

Marie Bochet, France, alpine skiing

Bochet won all her races across four World Cups to seal her 55th women’s standing victory, continuing an unbeaten run this season in both speed and technical events.

Helena Lucas, Great Britain, sailing

The London 2012 Paralympic champion cruised to the 2.4mR victory at the World Cup Miami in the USA, winning seven of the 10 races.

Gordon Reid, Great Britain, wheelchair tennis

Reid won the Australian Open, which was his first singles Grand Slam title. He defeated then-No. 1 Shingo Kunieda of Japan, and went on to beat Belgium’s Joachim Gerard in straights sets in the finals.

The public has until 12:00 (CET) on Tuesday (9 February) to vote for the athlete they want to be the Allianz Athlete of the Month for January 2016 via the IPC's homepage.

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