IPC Announce Athlete of the Month Shortlist

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced its shortlist of six for April’s ‘Athlete of the Month’ poll which the public are invited to vote for.

The award recognizes the best performances of the last month and this time consists of athletes from an interesting mixture of Paralympic sports including Athletics, Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing, Swimming and Wheelchair Tennis.

The public, who can choose the winner of the coveted title, via www.facebook.com/paralympicsporttv have until Tuesday 10 May to cast their vote.

The shortlist for April consists of:

Wakako Tsuchida (Japan) – The Japanese Wheelchair racer took home her fifth consecutive victory at the Boston marathon and finished in the fastest time ever recorded in the Women’s wheelchair division. Tsuchida crossed the finish line in 1:34.06, 16 seconds faster than the record originally set by Jean Driscoll in 1994.

Ahmed Kelly (Australia) – broke the World record in the 100m breaststroke (class SB3) at the 2011 Australian Swimming Championships. The 19 year old was raised in a Baghdad orphanage and in 2000, together with his brother, was adopted and moved to Australia. Ahmed became an Australian citizen in 2009 and his goal is to compete at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Esther Vergeer (The Netherlands) – Extending her winning streak to 415 matches, Esther claimed the Florida Open title in early April and then went on to win the ITF World Team Cup together with her team mates from The Netherlands.

David Weir (Great Britain) – won the Virgin London Marathon for the fifth time proving his reputation as one of the world's best wheelchair racers. David Weir plans on competing in the London 2012 marathon.

Mikhalina Lysova (Russia) – was one of the most successful athletes at the 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships in Khanty Mansiysk at the beginning of April, winning four gold (two in Biathlon and two in Cross-Country Skiing) and three silver (two in Cross-Country Skiing and one in Biathlon) in the women’s visually impaired category.

Benoit Huot (Canada) – The Canadian won seven medals at the Can Am Swimming Championships at the University of Minnesota beginning of April, five of them were gold.

To vote log onto http://www.facebook.com/ParalympicSport.TV, click online polls before Tuesday 10 May.