Harmanpreet Singh named FIH Player of the Year, PR Sreejesh gets best goalkeeper award

I

ndian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh has been named Player of the Year 2024 while retired goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was awarded Goalkeeper of the Year accolade during the gala night of the 49th FIH Statutory Congress in Oman on Friday.

The winners were declared following a vote by an Expert Panel, National Associations represented by their respective national teams' captains and coaches, fans, and media. Harmanpreet Singh was the standout player amongst the men's nominees, receiving the most votes across all categories of voters. Much like Yibbi Jansen in the women's competition, Indian captain Harmanpreet led the scoring charts at the Paris 2024 Olympics with 10 goals, including goals in the quarterfinal, semi-final, and both goals in the bronze medal match against Spain, which India won 2-1 to secure their second consecutive podium finish at the Olympics. Harmanpreet was also a crucial part of the Indian team that broke their 41-year podium drought at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He has previously won the FIH Player of the Year award on two occasions in 2020-21 and 2021-22. The third one might just be the most precious, given it was won while leading his country for the first time after taking over captaincy in 2023 and guiding his team to an Olympic medal in his first attempt! Speaking about the celebrations back home after he captained his side to a second consecutive medal at the Olympics, Harmanpreet said: "First off, I would like to thank FIH for this great honour. After the Olympics, it was so great to go back home and have such huge crowds there to greet us and welcome us. It was a very special feeling. I would like to mention my teammates; none of this would have been possible without you all. Special thanks to Hockey India as well for always giving us every opportunity to succeed at all levels. My wife and daughter are here today, and receiving this award in front of them means the world to me. So thank you to everyone who made that possible!" On the other hand, PR Sreejesh brought an end to his stellar career at the Paris 2024 Olympics by adding a second Olympic medal to his trophy cabinet. He now gets to add a third FIH Goalkeeper of the Year award as well, having previously won the award in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Sreejesh bid adieu to hockey at the highest level, putting together an incredible Olympic campaign that included a remarkable performance in the quarterfinal win for India over Great Britain, where they played most of the match with 10 players! Like his compatriot Harmanpreet Singh, Sreejesh received the most votes across all categories of voters. Thanking those who have helped him throughout his wonderful career, Sreejesh said: "I am so happy today. Thank you for this last playing honour of my career. As most people know, Paris 2024 was the last tournament I played for my country, and I just want to thank Hockey India for all the support and guidance offered over all the years I have played the sport. This award completely belongs to my team, the defense who made sure most attacks never got to me, and the midfielders and forwards who covered up my mistakes by scoring more goals than I conceded." Yibbi Jansen of Netherlands was named FIH Player of the Year 2024, while China's Ye Jiao won the Goalkeeper of the Year 2024 award. The awards for FIH Rising Stars went to Zoe D�az of Argentina and Sufyan Khan of Pakistan. For the second year in a row, China's women's head coach Alyson Annan (Australia) has been awarded the FIH Coach of the Year award in the women's category, while Jeroen Delmee (Netherlands) wins the FIH Coach of the Year award in the men's category. Sarah Wilson of Scotland and Steve Rogers of Australia won the FIH Umpire of the Year award in the women's and men's categories respectively.

✔️ Harmanpreet Singh named FIH Player of the Year, PR Sreejesh gets best goalkeeper award

📝 Post your comments

💕 Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us!