National cricket team captain Paras Khadka, wushu player Jharana Gurung, athlete Keshari Chaudhary and female footballer Chandra Bhandari were adjudged the talented players of 2069.[break]
The Dasharath Chand Memorial Trust picks five players -- one from each development region -- for the talented player awards and then selects one of them for the most talented player award.
Adhikari was awarded as the talented player of Eastern Region, Khadka of Central, Gurung of Western, Chaudhary of Mid-western and Bhandari of Far-western Region.
Adhikari received Rs 15,000 while the other four got Rs 10,001 each. The award ceremony was organized at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Monday to mark the birth anniversary of martyr Chand.
Adhikari had won two international gold medals last year, one each at the Asia Pacific Shito-ryu Championship in Hong Kong and at the Singapore Open in Singapore. She had also claimed gold medal in the Fujil Tumbe Mujib Karate Championship held in Bangladesh in 2012. Adhikari was also declared the best player in the 39th National Karate Championship.
Khadka had led the national cricket team to title victory in the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 and the ACC Trophy Elite. He was adjudged the man-of-the-series of the ACC T20 Cup when Nepal reached the final of the tournament for the first time.
Gurung had bagged bronze in the women´s 56 kg sansau event during the eighth edition of the Asian Wushu Championship held in Vietnam last year.
Likewise, Chaudhary had set national records in triple jump, long jump and 100m hurdles during the 38th National Athletics Championship. Bhandari was an important member of the Nepali women´s football team that finished runner-up in the Second SAFF Women´s Championship held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She was also the captain of Nepal Police Club that won the First Women´s Football League.
Except Bhandari, the other four players have been nominated for the Pulsar Sports Award 2069, which is organized by Nepal Sports Journalists Forum and set to take place on Tuesday.
Former Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, former ministers Lekharaj Bhatta and Tarani Bikram Chataut, National Sports Council Vice-president Pitambar Timalsina and Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama gave away the awards to the winners.
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