The list of winners from the second edition of Virat Kohli-backed Indian Sports Honours.
The second edition of the Virat Kohli-backed Indian Sports Honours (ISH) - which was held on 27th September 2019 at Dome, NSCI, SVP Stadium, Mumbai - felicitated top performers in 17 sporting disciplines.
The event which was initially supposed to be held in February was postponed as a mark of respect to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans, who were martyred in Pulwama in a terrorist attack.
The winners of 11 categories (Jury Honours) were decided by ISH Jury members, which comprised of eminent leaders and sporting champions including the likes of Mr Sanjiv Goenka, Pullela Gopichand, Abhinav Bindra, Sardar Singh, Mahesh Bhupathi, PT Usha and Anjali Bhagwat.
Apart from the Jury Honours, there are six ‘Popular Choice Honours’ and winners were decided through an online voting process on Twitter. The nominations in all the categories were shortlisted by 200 journalists from Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI).
A look at the list of winners from the second edition of Virat Kohli-backed ISH:
1. Differently Abled Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year
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Javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary was honoured with the Differently Abled Sportsman of the Year award while Karanataka girl and track and field athlete Rakshitha Raju was honoured with the Differently Abled Sportswoman of the Year award.
Sandeep Chaudhary had recently broken two World Records in the javelin throw at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Grosseto, Italy.
Rakshitha Raju had won gold medal in the women’s 1500m (T11) event in the Asian Para Games in Indonesia in 2018.
2. Emerging Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year
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Indian shooting stars Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker were honoured with the Emerging Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year.
The two have won many laurels for the country in solo and well as group events.
Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary won the women’s and men’s 10m air pistol events respectively at the YOG Buenos Aires 2018.
The 17-year-olds Bhaker and Chaudhary now look set to be serious gold medal contenders having won all four stagings of the event at the 2019 ISSF World Cup.
3. Coach of the Year
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Pullela Gopichand was honoured with the Coach of the Year award. Gopichand is the Chief national badminton coach and has given the nations talents like PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Srikanth Kidambi and many others.
4. Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year (Individual)
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Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat won the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year (Individual) award.
Bajrang Punia now has 3 World Championships medals, including podium finishes in successive editions.
Vinesh Phogat, on the other hand, is being considered as a bright medal prospect for India in Tokyo 2020.
5. Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year (Team)
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Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri and Indian women's cricket team star batswoman Smriti Mandhana won the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year (Team) award. Chhetri was not present for the event so his wife, Sonam Bhattacharya collected the award on his behalf.
The Sunil Chhetri-led side are currently part of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and have given a great performance. They recently survived the onslaught from the Asian champions Qatar to earn an honourable goalless draw in the Group E of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 joint qualifiers in Doha.
As for Smriti Mandhana, she is the No. 1 batter in the Women's ODI Rankings. She was part of the squad playing against South Africa currently, but due to injury was ruled out.
6. Team of the Year
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The Indian cricket team won the Team of the Year award. The team is currently part of the South African Test series and won the first Test match in Vizag.
They are even leading the World Test Championship points table with three wins in a row. The Virat Kohli-led side is also the No. 1 Test side in rankings with the captain also recently scoring a double 100 and smashing numerous records.
7. Lifetime Achievement Honour
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Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh won the Lifetime Achievement Honour. The 'Flying Sikh' is going strong at the age of 92 and makes sure he keeps a close look at the athletes.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Indian Sports Honours 2019, Milkha Singh said that he does not see any Indian winning a medal in athletics in the Olympics in the near future.
"If we have to win a medal in the Olympics, we will have to keep the athletes at one place and train them. Then (only) we can win a gold medal in the Olympics," suggested Milkha.
8. Breakthrough Performance of the Year – Male and Female
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Jasprit Bumrah and Jemimah Rodrigues won the Breakthrough Performance of the Year – Male and Female awards.
The Indian fast bowler rose to fame in a short span of time and became skipper Virat Kohli's go-to bowler. Bumrah is currently not part of the South Africa series due to injury but he sure to come back soon. He is also No. 1 in ODI bowling ranking and No. 3 in Test bowling ranking.
As for Jemimah Rodrigues, the allrounder is known for her smart batting style. The 19-year-old Mumbai girl has been enjoying success at the international level and is currently part of the South African series.
9. Spirit of Sport Honour
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The Indian football team's captain Sunil Chhetri also won the Spirit of Sport Honour award.
On January 6, 2019, Sunil Chhetri made history by becoming the second-highest international goal-scorer among active players with 67 goals from 105 matches. He went past Argentine great Lionel Messi who has scored 65 goals from 128 matches.
10. Comeback of the Year
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India gymnast Dipa Karmakar won the Comeback of the Year award. The star who has faced injuries on her way to success and alawys made a comeback stronger.
Dipa has not yet given up on her dreams of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, insists long-time coach Bishweshwar Nandi despite failing to recover for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship.
"Dipa was upset after missing the World Championship but she is mentally strong and I know that she will make a successful comeback to international gymnastics," Nandi had told PTI.
11. Club of the Year and Fan Club of the Year
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Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the Club of the Year award while the Fan Club of the Year award was given to the Whistle Podu Army – CSK Fan Club.
The MS Dhoni-led CSK have been ruling hearts on & off the cricket field. They have won the IPL trophy three times under Dhoni.
Just as the club rules in IPL, even their fans rule off the field. They represent their team in the best way possible and have always supported them no matter what. Prabhu Damodharan collects the Fan Club Of The Year honour on behalf of Whistle Podu Army- CSK Fan Club.
