KATHMANDU, Aug 14: Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) has announced nominees for the people’s choice award of annual Pulsar Sports Award, on Monday.
Organizing a press meet in the capital on Monday, NSJF disclosed the nominees that include cricketer Dipendra Singh Airee, swimmer Gaurika Singh, athlete Kanchi Maya Koju, judoka Phupu Lahmu Khatri and footballer Sujal Shrestha.
The winner of the people’s choice award will be decided through SMS voting and Facebook likes. The nominated players can be voted until the midnight of September 10. The winner will be announced on September 11 and will be awarded with Pulsar motorcycle. A selection committee led by NSJF secretary Raju Ghisingh picked the nominees on the basis of the players’ performances in the year of 2073 BS.
Footballers dominate nominees’ list for Sports Award
NSJF informed that it will announce the nominees in remaining categories including male and female player of the year, coach of the year and youth player of the year in coming days.
Achievements of the nominees:
Dipendra Singh Airee, Cricket
All rounder Airee was the highest run scorer for Nepali national and under-age teams as he stroked a total of 357 runs that included four half centuries in 2073 BS. He also pocketed four wickets that year.
Airee had made 62 runs for the national team against Kenya in ICC World Cricket League Championship match in Katmandu. Likewise he scored not-out 56 and 60 runs against Bangladesh and Hong Kong respectively in the ACC Emerging Teams Cup. Airee struck 90 runs against Sri Lanka in ACC U-19 Asia Cup.
Gaurika Singh,
Swimming
Singh made headlines in the international media being the youngest Olympian in Rio 2016 Olympics. Swimmer Singh was 13 years and 225 days old when she went to the world’s biggest sports event. Singh, a national record setter for 30 times, had bagged one silver and three bronze medals for Nepal in the 12th South Asian Games (SAG) held in India last year.
Kanchi Maya Koju, Athletics
Koju won two gold and one silver medals in the Seventh National Games hosted in the eastern region of the country last year. She became champion in Kathmandu Marathon with a new national record time of 2:55:57. Koju has won a total of five half marathon championships including Pinkathon, where she set a new national record time of 1:18:26.
Phupu Lahmu Khatri, Judo
Judoka Khatri who represented Nepal in Rio 2016 Olympics became the first Nepali judoka to vie for full time in her bout in the Olympics. She had secured bronze medal for Nepal in the 17th Junior Asian Judo Championship held in Kochi, India. Khatri also bagged gold in the Seventh National Games.
Sujal Shrestha,
Football
Shrestha who plays as a winger for the national team had scored the decisive goal in Nepal’s 1-0 win over Macau in the summit clash of AFC Solidarity Cup held in Malaysia.
He also helped Manang Marsyangdi Club to win various domestic titles including Duhabi Gold Cup, Khaptad Gold Cup, Aaha-Rara Gold Cup and Jhapa Gold Cup. Shrestha was declared the best player of the tournament in Duhabi and Aaha-Rara gold cups. He was also an important member of Manang when the Nepali football giant reached the semifinals of Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup held in Bangladesh.
