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

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has revealed the shortlist for the Allianz Athlete of the Month for October, and the public can now vote for the winner on www.paralympic.org.

The nominations are:

Marcel Hug, SUI, athletics

Hug followed up his Paralympic gold with a victory in the Chicago Marathon. He beat Australia’s defending champion Kurt Fearnley to the line in a nail-biting photo finish which saw the pair sprint to the line side-by-side. It was Hug’s first win in Chicago and his fifth victory of the 2016 Abbott WMM series, having already won in Boston (USA), London (Great Britain) and Berlin (Germany) this year as well as the Paralympic title in Rio.

Helena Kasicka and Peter Vidasic, Slovakia, wheelchair dance sport

The couple went three-for-three at the 2016 IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships. They especially won the eluded Latin combi class 1 title, an event they were runners-up four times at previous Worlds and at the last two Europeans.

Emanuele Lambertini, Italy, wheelchair fencing

The 17-year-old won four medals (two golds) at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) U17 & U23 Wheelchair Fencing World Championships. He took the under-17 mixed foil and mixed epee events, and this came after he reached the quarterfinals in the men’s foil category A on his Paralympic debut.

Tatyana McFadden, USA, athletics

McFadden notched up a phenomenal seventh win in the Chicago Marathon to become that Marathon’s most successful champion of all time. The US wheelchair star, who also won in Boston and London earlier this year, beat Swiss racer Manuela Schaer by 0.01 seconds.

Laura Perry, Great Britain, goalball

Perry scored 31 points to lead her country to gold at the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Goalball European Championship Group B. Great Britain was the undisputed winner after going undefeated in the tournament and got promoted to Group A.

The public has until 12:00 (CEST) on Friday (11 November) to vote for the athlete they want to be the Allianz Athlete of the Month for October 2016 via the www.paralympic.org homepage.

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

The 2016 Allianz Athlete of the Month winners so far 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

• May – Shelby Watson, Great Britain, athletics

• June – Elena Krawzow, Germany, swimming

• July – Richard Whitehead, Great Britain, athletics

• August – Ekrem Gundogdu, Turkey, goalball

• September (Best Male) – Siamand Rahman, Iran, powerlifting

• September (Best Female) – Sareh Javanmardidomani, Iran, shooting

• September (Best Team) – Brazil, BC3 boccia team