Gurung and Shrestha named Best Athletes at NNIPA Awards

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Apr. 4: Karate star Arika Gurung and table tennis player Shantu Shrestha have been crowned Nepal’s Best Athletes at the 20th NNIPA Sports Awards held in Banepa, Kavrepalanchowk, on Friday.

For the first time, the awards ceremony was staged outside the Kathmandu Valley, hosted by Banepa Municipality at the Chandeshwari Temple premises. Gurung and Shrestha were named Best Players of the Year 2081 in the event organised by the Nepal National and International Players’ Association (NNIPA).

Shrestha made history by becoming the first Nepali table tennis player to qualify for the Olympics, representing Nepal at the Paris Games after winning the South Asian qualifiers. His landmark achievement earned him both the Best Athlete award and the title of Table Tennis Player of the Year.

Gurung claimed a silver medal at the World Karate 1 Youth League and struck gold at the Australian Open Karate Championship. She was also named Best Karate Player of the Year at the ceremony. Gurung had previously won the Player of the Year award in the female category at the NSJF Pulsar Sports Awards for two consecutive years. Both athletes received a cash prize of NPR 100,000 each.

Abhishek Baral (Taekwondo) and Swastika Tiruwa (Boxing) won the Talented Player Awards in the male and female categories respectively. Baral secured silver at the 6th CAS Taekwondo Asian Championship and gold in the under‑80kg category. Tiruwa clinched gold at the ISF Gymnasiade Summer Games and had earlier won bronze at the 2021 Asian Junior Boxing Championships in Dubai.

Likewise, Prabha Angdambe was recognised as Para‑athlete of the Year. She won silver at the New Delhi Grand Prix in the T‑47 long jump, Nepal’s biggest medal in para athletics to date. Veteran volleyball coach Kumar Rai received the Gajraj Joshi Ideal Sports Personality Award, while senior photojournalist Udipta Singh Chhetry, with over two decades of experience, was honoured with the NNIPA Journalism Award. Both Rai and Chhetry also received a cash prize of NPR 35,000.

In addition, 26 players were declared Best Players of the Year in their respective disciplines. Organisers noted that while 27 sports were invited, shooting was excluded as no competitions were held in 2081. Among the 26 winners were: Arika Gurung (Karate), Mina Karki (Fencing), Tilak Pun (Archery), Maulik Maharjan (Triathlon), Ervin Shrestha (Swimming), Sunira Thapa (Tennis), Rashila Tamang (Badminton), Rabina Chaudhary (Kabaddi), Diksha Magar (Judo), Preeti Rai (Football), Achyutkrishna Kharel (Cycling), Santoshi Shrestha (Athletics), Amresh Kumar Yadav (Wrestling), Abhishek Baral (Taekwondo), Swastika Tiruwa (Boxing), Shivaji Silwal (Wushu), Sumitra Regmi (Volleyball), Nikesh Rakhal Magar (Basketball), Sadhvab Acharya (Golf), Dilip Yadav (Weightlifting), Rabin Chepang (Rafting and Canoeing), Nilima Pandey (Hockey), Nisha Rai (Handball), Sumit Tamakhu (Gymnastics), Shantu Shrestha (Table Tennis) and Lakshmi Rai (Ski).

All the outstanding athletes each received a cash prize of NPR 15,000. From among these 26 players, the overall Best Athletes and Talented Players were selected.

The winners were honoured at a ceremony by senior officials of the National Sports Council (NSC), including Member‑Secretary Ramcharitra Mehta, executive committee members Kamal Bahadur Bhattarai, Subarna Shrestha and Bhan Bahadur Chand, NSC members Jagat Singh Dhami and Jagat Tamata, as well as Banepa Municipality Mayor Shantiratna Shakya and Deputy Mayor Bimala Sapkota Dahal. Also present were Players’ Association President Deepak Shrestha and Honorary President Deepak Bista, among others.

Addressing the programme, Member‑Secretary Mehta praised the initiative of bringing together top athletes from different sports on a single stage and recognising their achievements.