MUMBAI: Sportstar ACES Awards, supported by the Qatar Supreme Committee for delivery and legacy for the 2022 Football World Cup and MRF, honoured sporting heroes here on Thursday.
The awards, that ran from 1994 to 2003 in their first stint, were reinstituted as Sportstar marked its 40th anniversary in 2018.
In the Sportsman of the Year (Cricket) category, India captain Virat Kohli and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah were declared joint winners. Kohli had an enviable 2018 in which he hit five hundreds and four fifties across 12 tests and amassed 1202 ODI runs at an average of 133.5. Bumrah, on the other hand, made his test debut in 2018 and since then has become the team’s go-to man across all formats. His 22 scalps in 13 ODIs at an economy rate of 3.62 is the best in international cricket in 2018 for bowlers with 15-plus wickets.
Australian spin legend and Rajasthan Royals brand ambassador Shane Warne gave away the award to Kohli.
Smriti Mandhana took the honours of Sportswoman of the Year (Cricket) thanks to a splendid 2018 across the Big Bash league in Australia and the KIA Women’s T20 league last year. She moved atop the ICC ODI batting rankings just a few days ago. Cheteshwar Pujara collected the Chairman’s Choice Award for his stupendous performance in India’s historic Test series win in Australia.
In racquet sports, Sharath Kamal pipped badminton player Sameer Verma and tennis player Rohan Bopanna to win the Sportsman of the Year. Winning medals of all three colours in different events at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and two Bronze medals at the Asian Games, Sharath reached a career-high ranking of 30 in 2018.
PV Sindhu and Manika Batra were declared joint-winners of Sportswoman of the Year (Racquet Sports). Sindhu’s BWF World Tour finals win was the highlight of 2018, which included Silver medals across Commonwealth Games, World Championships and the Asian Games in singles, and a Gold at the team event in CWG. Manika rose to prominence in 2018 with terrific performances at the Commonwealth Games, winning four medals in a single edition including the individual Gold, doubles Silver, women’s team Gold and a mixed doubles Bronze.
Gold at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games catapulted javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra to the Sportsman of the Year (track & field) award. Hima Das won the Sportswoman of the Year (track & field). Hima’s 400m Gold at the U20 World Championships was the first track title by any Indian at a world meet. Add the Silver at the Asian games and Hima was the cynosure of all eyes.
Sportsman of the Year (other team sport) award went to footballer Sunil Chhetri. Chhetri led the country to the AFC Asian Cup after an eight-year hiatus and also captained the side that won the Intercontinental Cup in June 2018.
Indian women’s hockey team’s ace drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur won the Sportswoman of the Year (other team sport) award. Her hat-trick in the opening match of the Asian Games against Indonesia and then a brace against Korea helped India reach the final.
Bajrang Punia’s Gold at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games and a Silver medal at the World Championship made him the world no. 1 in the 65kg category and the winner of Sportsman of the Year (Olympic sport). MC Mary Kom and Vinesh Phogat were declared joint-winners for the Sportswoman of the Year (Olympic sport). Phogat won top honours at the CWG and the Asian Games, while Mary etched her name in history by winning the World Championships a record sixth time.
The awards jury consisted of sporting legends Sunil Gavaskar, MM Somaya, Anju Bobby George, Anjali Bhagwat, and N Ram, chairman of the Hindu Group publishing. Guided by fan votes, the jury recognised sporting achievements in the 2018 calendar year.
“It was a tremendous honour to be asked to chair the jury with such eminent sporting personalities like Anju Bobby George, Somaya, Anjali and of course the huge sports lover with a fund of knowledge of all sports, Mr N Ram,” Gavaskar, the chairman of the panel, said.
Badminton legend Prakash Padukone won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the sport. In a year where Indian table tennis achieved new heights, the man behind the rise, the then head coach, Massimo Costantini, was awarded the Coach of the Year award. Vidarbha’s success in domestic cricket was recognised and it was adjudged the Team of the Year, ahead of Chennai Super Kings and Bengaluru FC.
Rising stars in shooting, Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker, won the Best Young Athlete awards in the male and female categories. Suyash Yadav and Manoj Sarkar jointly won the Sportsman of the Year (para-athlete), while Deepa Malik won the Sportswoman of the Year in the same category.
For hosting a successful Hockey World Cup after the Asian Athletics Championships and the Hero Super Cup, Odisha won the Best State for Promotion of Sports award. The man behind Odisha’s sporting success, chief minister Naveen Patnaik, received the award.
Among the guests at the event was Nasser Al Khatar, the assistant secretary general of Qatar's Supreme Committee for delivery and legacy for the 2022 Football World Cup.
Sportstar ACES’s endeavour is to provide encouragement to our athletes and their support systems. The awards aim to create a platform where stakeholders involved with Indian sports meet and share their vision for the growth of sports.
NOMINATED AWARDS
Best University for the Promotion of Sports
Army Sports Institute
Best PSU for the Promotion of Sports
Railways
SPECIAL AWARDS
Chairman’s Choice
Cheteshwar Pujara
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