Cigna is delighted to congratulate Mary Fisher who was named the Disabled Sportsperson of the Year at last night’s
Wellington Sportsperson of the Year (WSPOY) Awards ceremony.
This is the fifth year that Mary Fisher has received the award due to her outstanding achievements as a para-swimmer.
The 2017 award recognised her continued dedication as a visually impaired swimmer, continuing to break world records and
take gold at the Rio Paralympic Games in the 100m Backstroke S11.
Cigna CEO Lance Walker was thrilled to present Mary with the award. “Being able to recognise Mary in person and present
her with the award was fantastic. Being the only Wellington sportswoman to win an individual medal at either the 2016
Olympics or Paralympics is a significant achievement, making her an incredibly fitting recipient for the award.
“I also want to congratulate all of the athletes nominated for the award, their successes show us all what can be
achieved when we put our minds to a task – a very commendable trait to have.”
Commenting on Cigna’s sponsorship, Lance says; “We are passionate about helping all New Zealanders lead active and
fulfilled lives, and our sponsorship of the Cigna Disabled Sportsperson category supports this commitment.”
Dedication to health and wellbeing runs through all of Cigna New Zealand’s activity, especially its support of its
official charity Achilles New Zealand, which helps people of all abilities take part in mainstream running events.
Wellington’s annual Cigna Round the Bays fun run sees the organisation support raising awareness of Achilles, with
around 70 Achilles athletes taking part in the iconic event earlier this year which attracted over 14,000 participants
and raised $20,000 to support the charities ongoing development.
For information about the Wellington Sports Person of the Year Awards visit: http://wellingtonsportsawards.co.nz/
Cigna Disabled Sportsperson of the Year Mary Fisher – Para-swimming: 2016/17 saw Mary Fisher perform yet again to the
highest of standards in her sport, and continue to break world records. In April 2016 Fisher smashed her own world
record in the 50m Butterfly in the S11 category knocking 0.3 seconds off the record which she held previously. The
visually impaired swimmer put in an outstanding performance at the Rio Paralympic Games taking gold in the 100m
Backstroke S11, and setting another world record. She was also placed 4th in the 400 Freestyle S11, 50m Freestyle S11
and 200m Individual Medley SM11, and 6th in the 100m Freestyle S11. Fisher was the only Wellington sportswoman to win an
individual medal at either the 2016 Olympics or Paralympics.
The other finalists for the Cigna Disabled Sportsperson of the year were: Greg Reid – Para-Shooting, Kate Horan –
Para-Cycling, Rebecca Heath - Alpine Skiing and Sarah Dunckley – Yachting
About Cigna New Zealand
Cigna Life Insurance New Zealand Ltd is the place that New Zealanders go to for their health, wellness and sense of
security solutions. Cigna has had New Zealander’s backs for nearly a century, and with in-depth local consumer and
industry knowledge protects more than 350,000 New Zealanders with insurance policies. Our products and services include
life, funeral, income protection, trauma, accidental death, cancer cover, travel and bill protection insurance. We also
make our products available to partner companies to retail in their own names. Cigna New Zealand is part of Cigna
Corporation, a Fortune 500 company and has an A- (Excellent) financial strength rating which was given by A.M Best
Company Inc. Visitwww.cigna.co.nz for more information and links to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
ENDS