It was an evening to remember for the sporting fraternity at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday when Lalita Babar, who finished 10th in 3000m steeplechase final at the Rio Olympics, was presented the sportswoman of the year award by the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM)
Zaheer Khan presents the Sportswoman of the Year award to Lalita Babar on Saturday. Pics/ATUL KAMBLE
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It was an evening to remember for the sporting fraternity at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday when Lalita Babar, who finished 10th in 3000m steeplechase final at the Rio Olympics, was presented the sportswoman of the year award by the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM).
Ajinkya Rahane greets kabaddi player Abhilasha Mhatre as fellow cricketer Rohit Sharma looks on at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday
Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan was chief guest at the SJAM’s Golden Jubilee annual awards function. Babar revealed that the challenge from being a marathon runner to steeplechaser was huge. “It (the change from running marathon to running steeplechase) was very difficult because steeplechase is a technical event and in technical events winning a medal in Asian Games is very difficult within six months But I still won a medal (in the Asian Games) despite that,” she said.
The SJAM award winners pose for a group photograph on Saturday
Maharashtra’s Chess Grand Master Shardul Gagare received the Sportsman of the Year award.
Mumbai’s India middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane collected the International Cricketer of the Year award while Rohit Sharma was given a special award for a special knock – 264 against Sri Lanka at Kolkata in 2014. The two batsmen interacted with kabaddi player Abhilasha Mhatre and Babar as they waited outside the lounge to greet chief guest Khan.
Shardul Thakur and Shreyas Iyer shared the Ranji Trophy Cricketer of the year award. The Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad clinched the Team of the Year award.
The event witnessed a good mix of administrators and sportspersons which included ex-badminton star Aparna Popat, 1972 Munich Olympian Edward Sequeira, hockey stalwart Yuvraj Walmiki and chess exponent Raghunandan Gokhale.
Zaheer Khan urged his former India teammates to thrive on the forthcoming home season which will include 13 Tests. “Only once in my career did I experience a long home season like this.
This kind of season can change the whole graph of a cricketer’s life, career graph, for better or worse actually. So I hope everyone prepares that way,” he said.
Other awards
>> Sportsperson of the year (Indian games): Abhilasha Mhatre (kabaddi)
>> Junior sportsman of the year: Siddhant Banthia (tennis)
>> Jr sportswoman of the year: Akanksha Hagawane (chess)
>> Woman cricketer of the year: Devika Vaidya
>> Junior cricketer of the year: Armaan Jaffer
>> Best college of the year: Rizvi College of Arts, Science and Commerce
>> Best school of the year: Scottish School, Mahim
>> Club of the year: Otters Club, Bandra
>> Association of the year: Billiards and Snooker Association of Maharashtra
>> Excellence award: U Mumba (kabaddi)
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