Public Invited to Vote for October's IPC Athlete of the Month

The International Paralympic Committee has announced a shortlist of five athletes who are fighting it out for the public vote to win October’s Athlete of the Month.

This is the second time that the public has been asked to decide the ‘Athlete of the Month’, a title given to the athlete or team deemed to have put in the biggest or best performance in the last month.

Voters have until Tuesday 9 November to cast their vote via www.facebook.com/ParalympicSport.TV and this month’s shortlist is dominated by performances from the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Kate Nwaka Oputa (Nigeria)

After beating her close friend and teammate Faith Chinenye Obiora in the semi-final, Oputa claimed Commonwealth Games gold in the Women’s Singles Wheelchair Table Tennis event by defeating Australia’s Catherine Morrow.

Kyle Pettey (Canada)

Pettey, a bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, set a new world record in the Shot Put F32/34/52 event in the Commonwealth Games to claim gold with a 11.44m throw.

Katrina Hart (Great Britain)

The 20 year old Sports Performance student at the University of Bath claimed England’s first athletics gold medal of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, topping the podium in the T37 final in a personal best and British record time of 14.36 seconds.

Kurt Fearnley (Australia)

The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games gold medalist claimed Australia’s first Commonwealth games wheelchair track even gold medal by winning the 1500m T54 class.

Daniel Robert Highcock (Great Britain)

Wheelchair Bastketballer Highcock made headlines around the world when, playing for Spanish first division club Fundacion Grupo Norte de Valladolid, he shot a basket from well inside his own half at the end of the first quarter.

Last month’s IPC ‘Athlete of the Month’ were the US Wheelchair Rugby Team who made it four gold medals in five Wheelchair Rugby World Championships with an impressive 57-45 victory over Australia in Vancouver, Canada.