Cricket has the highest six nominees, followed by football with four nominees. The nominees from cricket are Rahul BK, Prithu Baskota, Sarita Magar, Nery Thapa and coaches Samsung Jung Thapa and Jagat Tamata.[break]
Similarly, Rohit Chand, Jamuna Gurung and Anu Lama and coach Dhruba KC are in the list of nominees from football.
Out of the eight different categories for which the awards are given, the nominations for Pulsar Player of the Year male, Pulsar Player of the Year female and Pulsar Player of the Year youth categories as well as Pulsar Coach of the Year were revealed on Saturday. There are five nominees in each category.
The nominees for the Popular Player of the Year have already been announced. The winner of the popular player category will be made on the basis of SMS voting.
There won´t be any nominations in Special Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and Pulsar Para-athlete of the Year, which together completes the list of eight categories of the Award. The winners of these three categories will be declared directly along with the others on September 11.
Organizing a press conference in the capital, coordinator of nomination committee Mahesh Acharya said that the players were selected on the basis of their performance and achievement in international and national events throughout the year 2067. Binod Pandey, Himesh Bajrachary, Ujwal Acharya and Prajit Shakya are the other members of the committee.
The winner of male and female player of the year will be awarded with a Pulsar motorbike each while the winners of remaining six categories will be awarded with Rs 30,000 each through Mega Sports Excellency Award along with trophies, certificates and gift hampers.
Male Player of the Year
Deepak Maharjan (Boxing)
- The only medal winner for Nepal in the 16th Asian Games. Maharjan won bronze in the 81 kg category.
- Bronze medalist in Kings Cup Boxing held in Thailand in April 2010. Nepal won bronze in Kings Cup after 32 years.
Bilamlal Shrestha (Chess)
- Succeeded in becoming the second FIDE Master of Nepal after Manish Hamal.
- Achieved FIDE Master title during 39th Olympiad of Chess held at Khanti, Russia.
- Gained 6.5 points from nine games in Khanti and directly achieved title on the basis of winning percent, 72.5 percent.
- Remained undefeated in last seven boards after losing initial two boards against Grand Master.
Rahul BK (Cricket)
- Claimed 33 wickets in international tournaments in 2067 BS.
- Eight wickets in ICC World Cricket League Division Four, four wickets in 16th Asian Games and 21 wickets in ACC U-19 Elite Cup.
- Vital member of U-19 team that finished runner up in the ACC U-19 Cup, vice-captain of the national team and also the best bowler of the tournament for claiming 21 wickets.
- Best performance ever by any Nepali bowler in his age group in any international tournament after he claimed eight wickets against Thailand giving away 15 runs.
Rohit Chand (Football)
- One among very few star players of Nepali football from Mid-western Region.
- Professional player of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), top flight club of Indian football I-League.
- One of the best five players of I-League.
- Played without being substituted in all matches for HAL, other than while fulfilling national duty.
- Vital role as a defender when Nepal made it to the second round of the AFC Challenge Cup as the runner-up of the group consisting North Korea.
Shyam Shrestha (Body Building)
- Gold medalist in bantam weight (65 kg) during the Seventh South Asian Body Building Championship.
- Bronze medalist of World Body Building Championship, greatest achievement for Nepali body building.
- Participant in Asian Body Building and Second WBPF World Men´s Body Building Championship.
Female Player of the Year
Jamuna Gurung (Football)
- Vital player and captain of the women´s team that finished runner-up in the First SAFF Championship.
- Scored ten goals among total 34 goals scored by Nepal in the tournament.
- Scored goals in all matches other than against India in final, hat-trick against Afghanistan.
Aslesha Lisssanevitch (Tennis)
- Youngest player of the 140-member Nepali team during the 16th Asian Games.
- Secured first position in all four tennis tournaments she participated last year.
- Won the singles of APF National Tennis Tournament at the age of 14, defeating no 1 Malika Rana.
- Entered quarterfinals in singles and doubles category of team event in the 16th Asian Games, Guangzhou, by defeating Mongolian players.
Anu Lama (Football)
- Three consecutive hat-tricks in women´s First SAFF Championship held in Bangladesh.
- First player to achieve such feat for Nepali football in international level.
- Highest scorer of the tournament with 11 goals to her name.
Manita Shahi (Taekwondo)
- Gold medalist of Korean Open International Taekwondo Championship in 62 kg category.
- Gold medalist of First Indian Open Taekwondo Tournament.
- Bronze medalist in Governors´ International Taekwondo Championship in Busan, South Korea.
Kanchhimaya Koju (Athletics)
- Set national record in the 5 km race during the 16th Asian Games clocking 16:59:5 minutes.
- Winner of Himalayan Guides International Pathivara Half Marathon.
- Winner of Kantipur Half Marathon.
Youth Player of the Year
Prithu Baskota (Cricket)
- Nepal advanced into the final of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup under his captaincy paving way for the World Cup Qualifiers.
- Scored 93 runs in the tournament with an average of 46.50 and claimed two wickets, 64 runs inning against Thailand.
Sarita Magar (Cricket)
- Vital player of the U-19 team that defended the title of ACC U-19 Women´s Championship.
- Remained unbeaten in final against Bhutan scoring 23 runs and claimed a wicket, declared woman of the match in final.
- Made an unbeaten 34 against UAE in semifinal.
- Scored 60 runs and claimed eight wickets with an average of 6.88 in Kathmandu´s title haul during Wai Wai Women´s National Cricket Tournament.
Phupu Lhamu Khatri (Judo)
- Bronze medalist in the youth category of the Asian Youth and Junior Judo Championship.
- Knocked Thai player in the third place playoff round despite being defeated by Kazakhstan´s player in the first round.
Nery Thapa (Cricket)
- Captain of Nepali team that won ACC U-19 Women´s Championship for the second time in a row.
- Top scorer with 191 runs, claimed eight wickets and the won best batswoman of the tournament title.
- Won woman of the series award in national tournament.
Anish Shrestha (Table Tennis)
- Won two bronze medals during the South Asian Table Tennis Championship.
- Junior category´s winner of the 33rd National Table Tennis Tournament
- Also made to the pre-quarterfinals in the open section of the 33rd National Table Tennis.
Coach of the Year
Samsung Jang Thapa (Cricket)
Guided Kathmandu to title during the Wai Wai Women´s National Cricket Tournament.
Coach of the team that won the title of the ACC U-19 Women´s Championship for the second time in a row.
Dhruba KC (Football)
- Coach of the women´s team that won the title of the First Women´s SAFF Championship.
- Nepal scored 34 goals under his guidance.
Prachanda Sharma (Boxing)
- Coach of boxer Deepak Maharjan who won the only medal for Nepal during 16th Asian Games.
- Helped Nepal win bronze medal during the Asian Games through his strategy.
Jagat Tamata (Cricket)
- Steered Nepali team to the final in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup.
- Coach of the U-19 team that also secured place in the World Cup Qualifiers as the runner-up of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup.
- Steered Bhairahawa to the final of Pepsi T20 National Cricket Tournament.
Gyanendra Nakarmi (Body Building)
- Coach of body builders Shyam Shrestha and Sachit Shrestha who won gold medals in the Seventh South Asian Body Building Championship.
- Coach of Shyam Shrestha when he won bronze during the Second WBPF World Men´s Body Building Championship, greatest achievement for Nepal in international arena.
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