The award, which will be presented by the IPC's international partner Allianz, will go to the top female athlete from the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics and Canada's superstar of the Games Lauren Woolstencroft unsurprisingly heads up the list of nominees.

The 29-year-old, who was born without legs below the knee and her left arm below the elbow, won all five events she entered in Vancouver as she struck gold in the alpine skiing standing events for super G, super combined, slalom, giant slalom and downhill to dominate the headlines at the event.

Woolstencroft is joined on the shortlist by German visually impaired biathlete Verena Bentele who like the Canadian stormed to a stunning five victories at Vancouver 2010.

The 29-year-old was considered an outside bet to compete in Vancouver following a serious accident at the 2009 German Championships that saw her seriously injure her knee, fingers, liver and kidney but she defied the odds to take five victories in the long distance events and add to the 11 Paralympic medals she already had ion her collection.

Bentele's achievements also saw her pick up the 2011 Laureus World Sportsperson of the year with a Disability Award, the individual prize in Paralympic sport.

Next to make the shortlist is Vasilyeva Liubov after the 44-year-old visually impaired Russian Paralympic veteran claimed a gold, two silvers and a bronze just two years after she competed in the wheelchair fencing competition in the Summer Games at Beijing.


Slovakian visually alpine skier Henrieta Farkasova (pictured above left with guide) also makes the shortlist after the 25-year-old won three alpine skiing gold medals in the super G, giant slalom and super combined events as well as a silver in the downhill.

The final athlete to make the shortlist is 28-year-old American alpine skier Alana Nichols who became a mono-skiing in 2002 just two years after she broke her back in a snowboarding accident.

After competing as part of the team that won wheelchair basketball gold at Beijing 2008, Nichols became the first female athlete from the United States to win gold at both the Summer and Winter Paralympics when she struck gold twice in Vancouver with victories in both the downhill and giant slalom alpine skiing events in addition to picking up silver in the super G and bronze in the super combined.

The award winner will be announced during a special ceremony that will coincide with the 2011 IPC General Assembly in Beijing this December.

The IPC are set to unveil the shortlist for the Best Male Athlete category later this month.

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