TSJA Awards: Saina Sportsperson of the Year
Hyderabad: Badminton ace Saina Nehwal walked away with the Sportsperson of the Year award at the annual Telangana Sports Journalists Association (TSJA) Awards held at The Park on Tuesday. Saina, who is recovering from an illness, was represented by her father Harvir Singh.
The badminton fraternity were the biggest gainers of the day. PV Sindhu was named the Outstanding Performer of the Year (female), Pullela Gopichand was awarded the Coach of the Year and the Indian badminton team was named the Team of the Year, while the Badminton Association of Telangana was awarded the Association of the Year.
Cricket ace VVS Laxman, who took time off from his commitment as mentor of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team spoke extensively on the need for athletes to give back to the game after their playing days and cited the example of Gopichand.Champion coach Gopichand, in a motivational talk spoke about his injuries, taking up coaching and the building of his academy.
"I was the best player in the country. I won the junior nationals; I was the no.1 player in the country. And then I had a fall during the National Games and injured my knee. I had a surgery in 1994, 1996, 1998. I wasn't sure what my future was. One day I went to European event and lost in the first round of the Dutch Open. I was sobbing, I was sobbing, alone and depressed. My Chinese coach told me, 'It is not how hard you fall it is how quickly you get up.' Those words were very critical for me."
Award winners: Junior Male: Thakur Tilak Verma; Junior Female: Isha Singh; Most promising: Arjun Erigaisi ; Outstanding contribution to sport: GHMC; Standout performances: Dhanush Srikanth and Nikhat Zareen; School (Govt): Telangana Sports School; School (Pvt): HPS (Begumpet), St Andrews, Meridian (Banjara Hills); Association: Badminton Association of Telangana; Coach: P Gopichand; Lifetime Achievement: VK Ramaswamy; Senior Male: Harsha Bharatkoti; Senior Female: PV Sindhu; Outstanding achievement: GH Vihari; Sportsperson of the Year: Saina Nehwal; Team of the year: Indian badminton team.