Usha Bhandari wins ‘People’s Choice Award’

KATHMANDU: National women’s volleyball player Usha Bhandari was awarded the ‘People’s Choice Award’ at the 19th NSJF Pulsar Awards 2022 held in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Bhandari beat four nominees – national football team player Anjan Bista, national cricket player Aasif Saikh, tennis player Abhilasha Bista, and swimmer Dhwana Lama – to clinch the award.

Similarly, national volleyball player Aruna Shahi and national football player Anjan Bista won Best Player (Male) and Best Player (Female), respectively. Palesha Goverdhan, a para-taekwondo player, was awarded the Best Para-athlete of the Year award, while footballer Manish Dangi took home the Best Youth Player award.  All five players were awarded a Bajaj Pulsar bike each.

Former national football team Head Coach Abdullah Almutairi was awarded the Best Coach of the Year Award. Under his leadership, Nepal won the silver medal in the SAFF Championship held in Male in October 2021.

NSJF also presented athletics coach Raghu Raj Onta with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Qatari journalist Mohammad Hiji received the Asian Sports Journalist Award. Dan Bahadur Tamang and Maya Devi Moktan, both from Bhojpur, received the Special Award. They are the parents of national badminton players Saradevi Tamang, Nangsal Devi Tamang and Ratnajit Tamang.

The NSJF Pulsar Awards, organized by the Nepal Sports Journalist Forum, is the most prominent and widely recognized sports award ceremony in the country.