"I belong to Nepal and I play for my country," an emotional Gaurika Singh said during the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) that took place from December 1 to 10 last year. There was a reason for the teenage swimming sensation's statement.

The 18-year-old lives with her parents in London. She has been honing her swimming skills and trying to get better every other day.

Despite living in a foreign country, she has not forgotten her roots and has been representing the country in major events.

The 13th edition of SAG was the biggest sports event for the country in the past year (2076 BS) and the biggest achievement at the mega event was the four gold medal haul by Singh. Apart from gold, she also claimed two silver and three bronze medals while winning the hearts of all Nepalis.

Singh would definitely find her place in the history books as the most successful athlete of the country. She has been nominated in the popular category of the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award to take place on January 12 in Satdobato. Singh achieved top finishes in 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle besides podium finish in 200m backstroke.

She is one among the five nominees of the Peoples' Choice Award along with basketball captain Sadina Shrestha, karateka Manday Kaji Shrestha, volleyball captain Aruna Shahi and football's Sabitra Bhandari. According to the organiser of the award, the players were selected on the basis of their performance and popularity in the past Nepali calendar year. The winner among them will be decided on the basis of votes received through eSewa, Facebook likes, votes from organiser Nepal Sports Journalists Forum members and chief coaches of sports associations.

Singh is one of the best known contemporary sports personalities of the country. Apart from the 13th SAG, she bagged global fame in the Rio Olympics of 2016 when she became the youngest player at the global sports meet at 13.

Before that she had made a strong presence at the regional level during the 2016 SAG held in India where she bagged one silver and three bronze medals at a tender age.

It's no exaggeration to say that Singh is the best recognised Nepali player at the global stage and her much improved performance in last year's SAG compared to the 2016 edition signals that the teenager has a bright future in the world of swimming.