Saina Nehwal won Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (2012) Award

Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal was honoured with the Sports Illustrated Sports person of the year award on 1 October 2013. Saina Nehwal mentor and Badminton Coach Pulella Gopichand was given the Coach of the Year award for nurturing talented young shuttlers.

Saina Nehawal was selected for this award for her outstanding performance in 2012 London Olympics. She won bronze medal in women’s singles category.

Earlier, Saina Nehwal had also bagged this award in the inaugural edition in 2009.

A sport magazine has organised this award function to honour all the good performing sport personalities of 2012. Since 2009 this magazine is organising this award function & presenting the awards under 14 different categories.

Other awardees:

1.Young Player of the Year award, won by U-19 world cup winning captain Unmukt Chand, while Athlete of the Year was presented to India cricketer Virat Kohli.

2.Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, the Indian batting stalwarts who retired from international cricket IN 2012, were given the Lifetime Achievement Award for their contribution to the sport.

3.Wrestler Sushil Kumar, who won became the first Indian to win back-to-back individual Olympic medals, was adjudged the ‘ Gamechanger of the Year’ for bagging a silver medal at London Games.

4.Team of the Year award was given to India U-19 Cricket Team for winning country’s third ICC Under-19 World Cup in Australia.

5.Paralympic high jumper H N Girisha’s silver medal winning effort at Paralympic in 2012 was awarded ‘Sporting moment of the Year’

6.Asian champion Sawarn Singh Virk (Rowing) and race walker KT Irfan selected for ‘Surprise Package of the Year’.

7.The other awardees include footballer Uttam Rai (Sportskid of the Year), Service Sports Control Board (Administrator of the Year) and Services (Domestic Performance of the Year).