Alice Tai has been voted September’s Allianz Athlete of the Month following her sensational performance at the London 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships.
Competing on home turf in front of an adoring London
crowd, the 20-year-old was the most successful athlete at the championships,
winning an astonishing seven gold medals, including a world record in the
Women’s S8 100m Backstroke.
Voted for by the public, the Allianz Athlete of the Month is open to Para-sport athletes across all sports, so another feather in Tai’s cap. The Ealing swimmer received an impressive 47 per cent of the public votes to see off Hungarian wheelchair fencer Eva Andrea Hajmasi who finished second. Australian cyclist Carol Cooke, her compatriot Kathryn Ross (rowing) and Swiss track athlete Manuela Schaer were also nominated.
Commenting on her achievements, Tai said:
"Firstly I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who took a little bit of time out of their day to vote for me. To be named as athlete of the month and receive the highest percentage of votes is such an honour, especially given that the other incredible nominees have achieved such great things.
For me reflecting back on my year I think I've done pretty well. I was really happy with my performance at the World Championships in September and hopefully I can continue that momentum going into Tokyo. We've actually just got back into the pool for a new season and I'm ready to put in the hard work in training for a big year ahead."
Information on previous winners in 2019 can be seen on the Paralympics website here.