The 22nd edition of the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award concluded at City Hall in Pokhara on Wednesday. The annual Award honoured athletes across 11 categories. What follows are brief profiles of the recipients of the awards across different categories.

Khadga Bahadur Ranabhat: Lifetime Achievement Award

Khadga Bahadur Ranabhat is 76 years old. Based in Pokhara, Ranabhat is an athlete from the first batch of Nepali sports. He has witnessed the rise of Nepali sports from the very beginning. And there was only one moment in the award ceremony where the whole of Pokhara City Hall were on their feet: when Ranabhat was feted with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“When we used to play, we did not even have jerseys, let alone shoes,” Ranabhat recalled his early days as an athlete. He has still kept the vest he wore during the 1970 Asian Games safe.

“I have told my family to put this jersey and the national flag over my body during my funeral,” he said in his video introduction. “But I am never going to retire.”

Ranabhat could not run in the 1972 Olympics due to injury, but he was the flag bearer of Nepal during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Ranabhat was the chief coach under the National Sports Council.

Running alongside the likes of Ganga Bahadur, Bhakta Bahadur and Jit Bahadur KC, Ranabhat was also the chief coach when Baikuntha Manandhar made a national record—completing the marathon in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 3 seconds—in the 3rd South Asian Games in Kolkata in 1987.

Ranabhat was also one of the key individuals to establish the Pokhara Marathon.

“When you play for the country, you get extra motivated,” he said. “There are currently more resources for athletes and I hope Nepali sports grow bigger and better with time.”

Tulsi Kumar Gurung: Special Award

A loud cheer welcomed Tulsi Kumar Gurung, the hometown hero, when he was announced as the recipient of NSJF Special Award. Currently earning a livelihood in Hong Kong, Gurung became the first Nepali taekwondoin to achieve 9th dan last year.

He established Hong Kong Nepali Taekwondo Association in 2002. In 2013, Gurung also worked as the coach of Hong Kong’s national team. Last year, Gurung also brought Fit Nepal Sports Complex into operation in Pokhara. For his continuous contribution to taekwondo in Nepal and beyond for over three decades, the NSJF acknowledged his recognition with the Special Award. Coming to the stage to receive the award with fiery eyes of a fighter, grabbing the award and hitting a punch, Gurung said, “This award by the NSJF to acknowledge the contribution of the athletes for over two decades is appreciable. I am also proud to receive this.”

Himal Sunari: People’s Choice Award

Volleyball’s Himal Sunari won the ‘People’s Choice Award’, the only category where the public, national coaches and sports journalists select the best. Sunari, who hails from Gandaki Province, had a good support from the audience as well as the overall sports fraternity that led him to collect 40.1 percent of total votes to win the award.

Sunari is one of the rising talents in volleyball. He was the key player when Gandaki won the Chief Minister Cup National Volleyball Championship and was the ‘best server’ in the Tiger Cup.

“I want to thank everyone who supported me for this,” Sunari said after receiving the award.

The other nominees in the category were football’s Rekha Poudel, cricket’s Puja Mahato, table tennis’ Evana Thapa and Wushu’s Bijay Sinjali.

Arika Gurung: Best Female Player of the Year

Karateka Arika Gurung has already established herself as a role model in the sport. She had won two gold in Bhutan, a gold each at Australian Open and Asia Pacific Karate Championship, and a silver each at Senior Karate Championship in China and Karate 1 Premier League in Dubai.

It was her second consecutive award in the same category. “It is an honour to receive this award, and I should thank my coaches, especially Kushal Shrestha guru, the Nepal Karate Federation, National Sports Council and Nepal Olympic Committee for their continuous support,” she said.

Karate’s Alisha Magar, Kho Kho’s Manmati Dhami, football’s Rekha Poudel and volleyball’s Salina Shrestha were the other nominees in the category.

Dipendra Singh Airee: Best Male Player of the Year

Nicknamed ‘tiger’ by the fans, Dipendra Singh Airee is one of the finest all-rounders in world cricket. And he bagged the award for the ‘Best Male Player of the Year’.

Airee was selected out of five nominees, which included his colleague Kushal Bhurtel, Kho Kho’s Janak Chand, wushu’s Bijay Sinjali and table tennis’ Santoo Shrestha.

Airee’s win was a result of his six sixes in an over, a very rare feat in cricket, against Qatar during the ACC Premier Cup, 370 runs and 20 wickets in the year and six wickets during the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024.

Kabiraj Negi Lama: Best Coach of the Year

Kabiraj Negi Lama’s students have won 13 international medals for Nepal in para taekwondo, including the country’s first Paralympics medal—a bronze by Palesha Goverdhan in Paris 2024. However, to date, Lama is only a volunteer coach continuing amid fake promises for a proper job in the field.

“I am still a volunteer coach,” Lama said after receiving the award. “And to be acknowledged despite being just a volunteer, it motivates me further.” Lama is a full-time employee at the All Nepal Football Association.

He reaches the building of Nepal Taekwondo Association early morning at the neighbourhood of the ANFA building in Satdobato to train his students, including Bharat Singh Mahata who participated in the Paris Paralympics, regularly.

Lama was selected for the award out of five nominees, which includes the likes of karate’s Kushal Shrestha, Kho Kho’s Laxmi Narayan Shrestha, cricket’s Mahesh Rijal and boxing’s Deepak Maharjan.

Rana Hasan: Asian Sports Journalist Award

Bangladesh’s senior sports journalist Rana Hasan was feted with the ‘Asian Sports Journalist Award’. The award is being provided at the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award through the AIPS-Asia, the umbrella body of sports journalists of Asia.

Hasan was honoured with the award following his decades of contribution to sports journalism.

Kho Kho: Team of the Year

Nepal’s men’s and women’s teams of Kho Kho were the first recipients during the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award-2081. The two teams were honoured with the ‘Team Of The Year’ award. Nepal’s Kho Kho teams had secured silver medals after finishing as the runner-up in the 1st Kho Kho World Cup in New Delhi, India, after losing to the hosts in the finals.

The women’s team had defeated Bhutan, Germany, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the group stage, Iran in the quarter final and Uganda in the semifinal.

Similarly, the men’s team had reached the final after defeating Peru, Brazil and Bhutan in the group stage, Bangladesh in the quarter final and Iran in the semifinal. “Thank you for the support and honouring our achievements,” said Shankar Maharjan, general secretary at the Nepal Kho Kho Association. Similarly, the Association’s President Pradip Maharjan said, “This will motivate our teams further.”

Puja Mahato: Youth Player of the Year

Is Puja Mahato the next big thing in Nepali women’s cricket? Or, has the 19-year-old already achieved that feat? She captained Nepal to the first U19 Women’s World Cup. During the World Cup Qualifiers, all-rounder Mahato smashed a century against Kuwait and scored a total of 272 runs alongside bagging 10 wickets. She was also the skipper when Nepal defeated Pakistan during the U19 Asia Cup. 

Further, she is already the vice captain of the senior women’s team, which is playing the Global Qualifier for the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. “I dedicate this award to my mother and father,” said Mahato, who was selected for the award out of five nominees. The other four nominated athletes were athletics’ Ajay BK, karate’s Anjali Maharjan, boxing’s Swastika Tiruwa and football’s Samir Tamang.

Prabha Angdembe: Para Athlete of the Year

A confident youngster entered the stage to receive the Para Athlete of the Year Award. “I want to thank the Para Athletics Association of Nepal and the National Paralympic Committee and my coach and family for their support,” said confident Prabha Angdembe after receiving the award. 

A long jumper, Angdembe won a silver medal at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi. “I will do better in the upcoming days,” Angdembe added.

Palesha Goverdhan: Trailblazer of the Year Award

There are 10 categories under which awards are distributed at the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award. However, this year, there was one special addition: Trailblazer of the Year Award.

“This award has been kept for a special achievement,” NSJF President Niranjan Adhikari told the Post. “And the achievement was of Palesha Goverdhan, Nepal’s first medallist at the Paralympics.”

Goverdhan won bronze at Paris 2024, and she is aiming for gold at LA28.

“This award ceremony in Pokhara has got a special place in my heart, and this award means a lot,” Goverdhan said. “I am thankful to my coach and parents for their regular support.”