The nominations include Daniel Dias of Brazil, who set a new world record in the men's 200 metres breaststroke SB4 at the Speedo CanAm Para-Swimming Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

Dias's time of 3min 21.36sec saw him take almost six seconds off the previous record, which was set in June 2012.

He is joined on the list by Russia's visually impaired Alpine skier Valerii Redkozubov and guide Evgeny Geroev, Russia, who, following double Paralympic gold at Sochi 2014, claimed five Europa Cup podiums in Kuhtai and Pitzal during December.

The podiums included four first-placed finishes and their form has continued with four slalom victories at the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in La Molina, earlier this month.

Redkozubov and Geroev will hope their form continues in next month's IPC World Championships, which will also be attended by fellow nominees for the December award in the form of Nordic skiers Oleksandra Kononova and Oksana Masters, from Ukraine and the United States respectively.

Kononova enjoyed a successful December as the four-time Paralympic champion claimed victory in four of the five women's standing races and the first IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup in Vuokatti, held in Finland.

Meanwhile Masters, competing at the same meeting, beat Norway's Paralympic champion Mariann Marthinsen in the women's sprint, to claim her first win at a World Cup event and claimed two further podium positions.

Tyler Walker recovered from a bad crash at Sochi 2014 to claim two first places finishes in December ©Getty Images



The nominations are completed by another winter sport athlete, Alpine skier Tyler Walker from the United States and 17-year-old Italian wheelchair fencer Beatrice Vio.

Walker, returning from injury after crashing heavily at Sochi 2014, competed at the NorAm Cup in both the slalom and giant slalom events where he secured two first places finishes.

At the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing Hong Kong Grand Prix, Vio achieved victory in the women's category B foil event, as she defeated London 2012 Paralympic champion Fang Yao of China, with a comfortable 15-6 victory in the final.

The public has until 12am Central European Time on Monday 19 January to vote for their Athlete of the Month for December, via the IPC website here.

The winner will succeed US ice sledge hockey player Kelsey Diclaudio, who claimed the November award.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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