Table tennis star Elina Maharjan is one of the few athletes of Nepal who has had a bitter and long-standing rivalry with her own family member. She has finished as runner-up in the last five national championships, losing to her own sister-in-law Nabita Maharjan. Nabita has been crowned national champion for eight years in a row.

The current third seed of the country, Elina is one of the five nominees of peoples' choice category in the annual Pulsar Sports Award set to take place on March 22 in Kathmandu. Nabita was the winner of the same category of the Award six years ago, becoming the first table tennis player to secure the prestigious prize.

Besides Elina, national women's football team goalkeeper Anjila Tumbapo Subba, shuttler Prince Dahal, cricketer Kushal Bhurtel and middle distance runner Santoshi Shrestha are other nominees.

The winners among them will be decided on the basis of eSewa votes, Facebook likes on the official page of the Sports Award and points allocated by head coaches of 27 sports associations affiliated with the Nepal Olympic Committee and members of NSJF. The eSewa votes will have 50 percent weightage, Facebook likes 25 percent and the points allocated by coaches and NSJF members will have 12.5 percent weightage each.

While she hopes to win the award, the 26-year-old’ primary ambition is to claim the elusive national championship title.

She said she is confident about realising her ultimate dream.

"I have been training really hard and I am very much hopeful about winning the national champions' crown in near future," she said.

Elina comes from a family that is passionate about sports.

Elina’s two sisters were also national players and elder brother Rakesh a Nepali international tennis player. It was Rakesh who made the game familiar to the Maharjan family. He is currently active in players' production as a badminton coach.

Elina started playing the game when she was 12 and has been active for the last 14 years.

While Nabita is her arch-rival in domestic level, she is Elina’s partner in international events. The two as a pair have claimed international medals as well.

Elina has won two bronze medals in the sub continental South Asian Game (SAG). In the 12th SAG in 2016, Nabita was her partner when they claimed women's doubles bronze in India. In the following edition in 2019 at home, she won team event bronze with Nabita as one of her teammates.

Should she win the peoples' choice award, the Maharjan family could make a record of winning two awards of the unique category.

The award ceremony to take place at the Nepal Academy Hall in Kathmandu will honour sportspersons in eight different categories.