KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 21
National women’s volleyball team skipper Aruna Shahi is one of the five nominees in the People’s Choice category of the Pulsar Sports Award slated for next month.
She is in contention with swimmer Gaurika Singh, karateka Monday Kaji Shrestha, footballer Sabitra Bhandari and basketball player Sadina Shrestha for the prestigious award which will be decided through public vote along with the votes from coaches and the members of the Nepal Sports Journalists Forum.
Like common Nepali parents, Shahi’s father Kubir and mother Kamala had a fear whether their daughter would take a wrong path through sports. But today they are proud of their daughter. “Our daughter made us proud instead,” they shared.
Nepali women’s volleyball took a huge stride towards success after Shahi was named the skipper of the team. In her debut tournament as a skipper, Shahi led the team to the first-ever international gold medal when the team won the inaugural edition title of the AVC Asian Central Zone Volleyball Championship in November last year in Bangladesh.
With regular skipper Binita Budhathoki and her deputy Manju Gurung failing to make the cut in the preliminary squad, the Nepal Volleyball As- socia- tion took a wise decision of appoint- ing Shahi as the team captain and that move brought one after another accolades for the country.
A month after winning the Central Zone crown, Nepal finished second in the 13th South Asian Games but not before giving a tough fight against South Asian powerhouse India.
The Nepali girls won the first two sets winning millions of hearts but the home side lost next three sets, only to lose the gold medal and not the love of fans. The jam-packed NSC Covered Hall had become emotional when tears rolled down the cheeks of the team members.
The women’s volleyball in Nepal is more popular than the men’s and the SA Games story is just one of the many examples set by the team. The NVA at times feel it difficult to adjust the women’s tournament in its calendar to meet the demands from across the country.
The 27-year-old Shahi from Myagdi district has already invested 14 years into the sports and she believes volleyball is the first love of her life. Although it’s more than a year, Shahi has not forget the loss against India in the SA Games final. “If I get a chance to take the time back, I will go to that final and try to avert the loss we faced in the last three sets against India,” says Shahi. “I feel for volleyball which is my first love.”
The 17th edition of the Award is scheduled for January 12 next year at the karate covered hall in Lalitpur. The Award features 10 categories — Player of the year (male), PoY (female) and PoY (youth), coach of the year, People’s Choice, Para-athlete, Special, Lifetime Achievement, Team of the Year and International Asian Sports Journalist. Winners in four categories will receive Pulsar motorcycle each, while others will get Rs 50,000 apiece.
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