Vote now for the Allianz Athlete of the Month – November 2014

Six athletes including world and European champions have been shortlisted for November’s accolade 01 Dec 2014

Man in wheelchair, holding tennis racket in triumphing pose

Japan's Shingo Kunieda was crowned the 2014 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters champions after beating France’s World No.7 Nicolas Peifer in the final.

ⒸJames Jordan

By IPC

Six para-athletes have been shortlisted for the Allianz Athlete of the Month poll for November 2014

Six para-athletes have been shortlisted for the Allianz Athlete of the Month poll for November 2014 and the public are now invited to vote for their winner via www.paralympic.org.

The nominations for November are:

Ricardinho, Brazil, football 5-a-side – Scored six goals and was named player of the tournament at the 2014 IBSA Blind Football World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, as Brazil won their fourth world title.

Shingo Kunieda, Japan, wheelchair tennis - won his third successive Wheelchair Tennis Singles Masters title to cap an incredible year in which he only lost one singles match.

Kelsey Diclaudio, USA, ice sledge hockey – scored four goals and had one assist in the final as the USA made history by winning the first ever IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Women’s International Cup.

Aliaksei Zukhtsikau and Veranika Kasach, Belarus, wheelchair dance sport – the unranked pair beat Slovakia’s world champions Helen Kasicka and Peter Vidasic to gold in the combi standard class 1, causing the shock of the 2014 IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships in Lomianki, Poland.

Mike Shea, USA, para-snowboard – won two titles, beating close rival and compatriot Evan Strong twice, at the 2014 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in Landgraaf, the Netherlands.

Aniek Van Koot, Netherlands, wheelchair tennis – the World No. 3 finished the season on a high beating compatriot and World No. 2 Jiske Griffionen to the NEC Masters in London, Great Britain.

The public has until 12:00 (CEST) on 8 December to vote for the athlete they want to be Allianz Athlete of the Month for November via the paralympic.org homepage.

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

The previous winners in 2014 include:

January – Markus Salcher, Austria, alpine skiing

February – Matti Suur-Hamari, Finland, para-snowboard

March best male – Declan Farmer, USA, ice sledge hockey

March best female – Marie Bochet, France, alpine skiing

March best team – Russia ice sledge hockey

April – Ali Jawad, Great Britain, powerlifting

May – Aled Davies, Great Britain, athletics

June - Safet Alibasic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, sitting volleyball

July – Markus Rehm, Germany, athletics,

August best youngster – Maria Lyle, Great Britain, athletics