Sports
Birendra, Vandana best hockey players, Balbir Sr. gets lifetime award
Melbourne, March 28
Defender Birendra Lakra
and striker Vandana Kataria were on Saturday named the "Players of Year"
in the male and female category respectively, while three-time Olympic
gold medallist Balbir Singh Sr. got the "Lifetime Achievement" award at
the inaugural Hockey India (HI) annual awards here.
Youngsters
stole the show in all the award categories at the glittering ceremony,
barring the "Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year" which was
won by vice-captain P.R. Sreejesh.
The Keralite was also a
favourite to win the "Dhruv Batra Award for Player of the Year". But it
had a surprise winner in Birendra, who hails from the tribal district of
Sundergarh in Odisha that has produced a series of stars in the past.
Like
Sreejesh, the media shy Birendra was part of the 2014 Asian
Games-winning team and the silver medal-winning side in the Commonwealth
Games 2014.
For the award, Birendra pipped Sreejesh and young
Akashdeep Singh, who had moments to cheer by claiming the "Dhanraj
Pillay Award for Forward of the Year". Akashdeep overcame seasoned S.V.
Sunil and ace woman striker Vandana for the award.
"Birendra has
been consistent throughout the last year and was a crucial member in all
major tournaments. He deserves the award," Roelant Oltmans, high
performance director, said, praising the 25-year-old.
Birendra and Vandana both became richer by Rs.25,00,000.
For
the "Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year", Manpreet Singh
was chosen ahead of teammate Dharamvir Singh and women's team captain
Ritu Rani.
For the "Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year",
talented Deepika was a surprising winner ahead of favourites Birendra
and Kothajit Singh.
The "Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player
of the Year" went to defender and penalty corner exponent Harmanpreet
Singh, while the "Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year"
was won by defender Namita Toppo.
The "Dhruv Batra Award for
Woman Player of the Year" went to Vandana, who got the better of her
captain Ritu and steely defender Deepika.
In the "Major Dhyan
Chand Lifetime Achievement Award" category, Balbir was a natural choice.
The 90-year-old was a member of the Olympic gold medal-winning teams in
1948, 1952 and 1956.
Considered the sport's greatest
centre-forward after Dhyan Chand, Balbir still holds the world record of
most goals scored by an individual in an Olympic men's hockey final. He
set this record when he scored five goals in India's 6-1 victory over
the Netherlands in the gold medal game of the 1952 Olympic Games.
He
also captained the side to Olympic glory in the 1956 Games. He was the
manager and chief coach of the Indian team for the 1975 World Cup, which
India won, and the 1971 World Cup, when India earned a bronze medal.
During
the London Olympics in 2012, Balbir was honoured in the Olympic Museum
exhibition, "The Olympic Journey: The Story of the Games" held at the
Royal Opera House. The exhibition tells the story of the Olympic Games
from its creation in 776 B.C. through to the 2012 London Olympic Games.
He
was one of the 16 iconic Olympians chosen by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) whose example "tells of human strength and endeavour, of
passion, determination, hard work and achievement and demonstrates the
values of the Olympic Movement".
On receiving the award, an overwhelmed Balbir said that getting recognition from HI made the award memorable.
The list of award winners with the prize money:
Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award: Sardar Balbir Singh, Rs.30,00,000
Dhruv Batra Award for Player of the Year (Men): Birendra Lakra, Rs.25,00,000
Dhruv Batra Award for Player of the Year (Women): Vandana Kataria, Rs.25,00,000
Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year - Harmanpreet Singh, Rs.10,00,000
Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women - Under 21), Namita Toppo, Rs.10,00,000
Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year - PR Sreejesh, Rs.5,00,000
Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year - Deepika, Rs.5,00,000
Ajit Pal Singh Award Midfielder of the Year - Manpreet Singh, Rs.5,00,000
Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year - Akashdeep Singh, Rs.5,00,000
Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution (for coaches and support staff) - Harendra Singh, Rs.5,00,000
Hockey India President Award for Outstanding Achievement - K. Arumugam (Stick2hockey), Rs.5,00,000.