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

Five para-athletes have been shortlisted for the Allianz Athlete of the Month poll for March 2016, and the public are now invited to vote for their winner via www.paralympic.org.

The nominations are:

Heather Erickson, USA, sitting volleyball

Erickson was named the Most Valuable Player and Best Spiker of the 2016 World ParaVolley Intercontinental. She led the team with 80, plus 13 blocks (third most) and 10 aces (third most). The USA defeated China 3-1 in the gold medal match, which was the USA’s first time beating China in a major World ParaVolley Championship.

Megan Giglia, Great Britain, cycling

Giglia set two world records (women’s C3 500m time trial and individual pursuit) at the 2016 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships, en route to winning the gold medals in both events.

Oksana Masters, USA, cross-country skiing

Masters was unbeaten at the World Cup Finals in Vuokatti, Finland, taking the globe in the women’s cross-country sitting, as well as the overall women’s title across all classifications.

Stephen McGuire, Great Britain, boccia

McGuire won his first Individual World Championships gold medal in the BC4 class, defeating China’s Yuansen Zheng 4-3 in the finals. He has been working toward the title since 2005.

Melissa Tapper, Australia, table tennis

The 26-year-old became the first Australian athlete to qualify for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The class 10 player secured her Olympic berth by defeating Grace Yee from Fiji at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Oceania Olympic Games Qualification Tournament.

The public has until 12:00 (CEST) on Thursday (14 April) to vote for the athlete they want to be the Allianz Athlete of the Month for March 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