Lausanne: Indian men’s hockey captain Manpreet Singh was Friday nominated for the Player of the Year award by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) after he led the country to a Tokyo Olympics berth.
Two other Indian players, Vivek Prasad and Lalremsiami, were also nominated for the men’s and women’s FIH Rising Star of the Year Award respectively.
The 27-year-old Manpreet, a veteran of 242 international caps, is the midfield pivot of the Indian team. Under his captaincy, India beat Russia 11-3 on aggregate in Bhubaneswar last month to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
The 19-year-old Prasad, a midfielder, led the Indian team in the Youth Olympics last year where the country won a silver medal. He was also named the best young player at the FIH Series Finals this year. Lalremsiami, 19-year-old forward, was a part of the Asian Games silver-winning women’s squad.
Australians Eddie Ockenden and Aran Zalewski, Argentina’s Lucas Vila and Belgians Arthur Van Doren and Victor Wegnez were the other five nominees for the prestigious FIH Player of the Year award.
The Nominations:
Men
FIH Player of the Year: Manpreet Singh (India), Eddie Ockenden, Aran Zalewski (both Australia), Lucas Vila (Argentina), Arthur Van Doren, Victor Wegnez (both Belgium)
FIH Goalkeeper of the Year: Tyler Lovell (Australia), Vincent Vanasch (Belgium), David Carter (Canada), Quico Cortes (Spain), Victor Aly (Germany)
FIH Rising Star of the Year (U-23): Vivek Prasad (India), Maico Casella (Argentina), Blake Govers (Australia), Zachary Wallace (Great Britain), Jonas de Geus (the Netherlands)
Women
FIH Player of the Year: Carla Rebecchi (Argentina), Janne Müller-Wieland (Germany), Eva de Goede, Frederique Matla (the Netherlands), Stacey Michelsen, Olivia Merry (both New Zealand)
FIH Goalkeeper of the Year: Rachael Lynch (Australia), Maria Ruiz (Spain), Mathilde Petriaux (France), Ayeisha McFerran (Ireland), Megumi Kageyama (Japan)
FIH Rising Star of the Year (U-23): Lalremsiami (India), Julieta Jankunas (Argentina), Zhong Jiaqi (China), Nike Lorenz (Germany), Frederique Matla (the Netherlands).
(PTI)