New Delhi, India, February 2, 2022: Indian men’s hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has won the World Games Athlete of the Year award for 2021, becoming only the second Indian to receive the honour.
A veteran of the Indian hockey scene, the 33-year-old Sreejesh played an instrumental role in India’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics campaign last year, helping the team win the bronze medal.
Speaking about the award, the shot-stopper, who was also voted International Hockey Federation (FIH) Goalkeeper of the Year for 2021, said: “I’m very honoured to win this award. First of all a big thank you to FIH for nominating me for this award, and secondly, thanks to all the Indian hockey lovers around the world who voted for me.”
In a global fan vote conducted on TheWorldGames.org, Sreejesh finished well clear at the top of the 24-strong nomination list, with his tally of 127,647 votes being almost twice as many as the second-placed athlete, Spain’s Sport Climbing ace Albert Gines Lopez.
The veteran of 244 international matches and three-time Olympian was quoted as saying by the FIH: “I am a person who doesn’t believe in individual awards, especially when you are part of a team.
"It’s not only the team of 33 players, but you have a lot of people involved behind as well; there’s coaching staff, support staff, a great association like Hockey India, the Sports Authority of India who are providing you with all the world-class facilities to train; there’s Odisha Government, whose unwavering support helps the sport grow and flourish, and there’s the Indian Olympic Association as well, who’re taking care of you really well. So, it’s a collective effort of a nation to get this kind of recognition.”
Congratulating Sreejesh, Hockey India President Gyanendro Ningombam said: “This is a very proud and special moment for India, as he became only the second Indian athlete to win this honour. I would like to thank FIH, the hockey community around the world and, of course, all his fans for supporting him and voting for him to win this award. It’s a big achievement for him as well as for Indian hockey.”
Sreejesh became the first man and second hockey player to win this award, following in the footsteps of compatriot and India women’s captain Rani Rampal, who took the prize in 2019.
Photo: PTI
