Players and coaches receive ‘Nat’l sports talent award’

Marking the international youth day the National Sports Talent Award was given away to ten people among whom seven of them were players and two were coaches. Among the players to be honoured by the government were wushu player Nima Gharti Magar, judoka Phupu Lhamu Khatri, footballer Nawayug Shrestha, cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane, athlete Bipana Pariyar, swimmer Gaurika Singh and taekwondo player Nisha Rawal. Para-athletics coach Kumar Paudel and kho-kho coach Ram Narayan Roy as well as Nepal Triathlon Association were the other recipients of the annual award. The award carried a cheque for Rs1,00,000. Among the players who go the award Nima Gharti Magar was the 12th South Asian Games gold medallist. On the other hand Nawayug was the star of the men’s football team that ended 23-years wait for gold at the regional meet in Guwahati, India in February. In the same way the 16-year-old spinner Lamichhane shone in the ICC U-19 World Cup and World Cricket League Championship matches against Namibia on April 16 and 18 in Kathmandu. He was key member of the team that qualified for the U-19 World Cup quarter-finals. Pariyar had won four gold medals during the eighth President’s Running Shield. The 13-year-old Singh, who become the youngest athlete at the Rio Olympics, had won one silver and three bronze medals during the 12th SA Games.