Hockey India honours legendary 1975 WC winning squad, Harmanpreet Singh and Savita Punia win Player of the Year awards
Harmanpreet Singh, who led the Indian men's team during their Olympic bronze-medal-winning campaign, was named Hockey India's Player of the Year for 2024. Talismanic goalkeeper Savita Punia won the award for the third time in the women's category.
Hockey India's Annual Awards for 2024 also commemorated 100 years of Indian hockey in a gathering that witnessed the coming together of players of the past and present generations.
In a ceremony held in New Delhi on Saturday (March 15), Hockey India also felicitated veteran players who were part of India's 1975 World Cup winning squad.
Harmanpreet Singh, who ended up as the top scorer in men's Field Hockey at the Paris Olympics was chosen to receive the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award.
Savita Punia, who played her 300th international during the recently-concluded India leg of the Women's FIH Pro League won the Player of the Year award in the women's section.
Savita also won the Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year 2024.
Harmanpreet Singh also received a cash award of INR 10 lakhs for winning the FIH Player of the Year award for 2024 and INR 1 lakh for being picked as the Player of the Tournament in last year's Asian Champions Trophy.
Members of the 1975 World Cup gold-medal winning squad were awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award, along with a cash prize of INR 50 lakh as part of the golden jubilee of the win.
Harmanpreet Singh wants men's team to emulate 1975 WC heroes
Savita Punia, who won the Player of the Year award for the third time, thanked her teammates, coaches, family and hockey fans.
"I am truly honoured to receive this award for the third time. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of my teammates, coaches, family, and hockey fans. I am deeply grateful, and this recognition will only push me to work even harder. Thank you all for your love and encouragement—this one is for all of us!," Savita stated.
Harmanpreet Singh hoped that the men's side would emulate the performance of the 1975 squad and bring home the upcoming FIH World Cup next year.
"These awards mean a lot—they serve as motivation for the young players watching today. I hope both our men’s and women’s teams continue to give their best without stressing too much about results. I also hope our Indian hockey family keeps winning more and more medals," the Indian captain stated.
"Today is a very special occasion, and we are fortunate to celebrate it with our legends. Just like them, I hope we bring the World Cup home next year," he added.
Abhishek won the Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay award for Forward of the Year just as he had done last year.
Young stars Deepika and Araijeet Singh Hundal won the Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year 2024 in the men's and women's categories respectively.