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| Edited By: DNA Web Team |Source: DNA Web Desk |Updated: Oct 05, 2022, 05:31 PM IST
On the strength of their performances beneath the bar, India's PR Sreejesh and Savita Punia were named FIH Men's and Women's Goalkeeper of the Year for the second year in a row on Wednesday.
In his 16th year as a full international for India, Sreejesh proved his worth by appearing in all 16 games in the FIH Hockey Pro League as India finished third.
He also appeared in all six games in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, when India took silver.
"The longevity of PR Sreejesh’s career continues to defy logic as the 34-year-old Indian shot-stopper continues to raise his game as the years roll on," the FIH said in a statement on Sreejesh, who had also won the award last year.
Sreejesh received 39.9 total votes, followed by Belgium's Loic van Doren (26.3 points) and the Netherlands' Primin Blaak (23.2 points). Experts (40%), teams (20%), fans (20%), and media (20%) voted online.
Sreejesh is the third player to win the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year title in a row. In the past, David Harte (Ireland) won the prize twice in 2015 and 2016, while Vincent Vanasch (Belgium) won it three times in a row from 2017 to 2019.
During the season, Sreejesh also reached 250 international appearances, becoming the eighth Indian and the only goalie to do so.
"No doubt, this is a special award because the hockey fans are voting for us. This is a big honour for me and a testimony to all the hard work," said Sreejesh who is currently at the SAI Centre, Bengaluru along with his teammates in the national camp for the upcoming FIH Hockey Pro League.
"Winning awards, no matter at what stage in your career you are at, is always a motivating factor. This award surely motivates me to further improve and do well in an all-important year where we will play the FIH Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023." The 32-year-old Savita finished on top of the voting with 37.6 points. Argentina legend Belén Succi received second most points with 26.4, followed by Australia stalwart Jocelyn Bartam (16 points).
Savita is just the third athlete to win Goalkeeper of the Year (Women) for three years in a row since the award's debut in 2014.
"This surely is a big surprise and a very pleasant one. I am sure many Indian hockey fans voted for us and I thank each one of them," said Savita who is currently playing for Haryana in the National Games in Gujarat.
Savita was crucial in guiding India to a podium place in their maiden season of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021-22, with an astonishing 57 saves in 14 games.
Her form only increased at the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup, when she made several spectacular saves to help India tie eventual gold medalists England in the pool stages. She also had an outstanding performance in the cross-over game versus Spain, making seven saves that left the audience scratching their eyes in bewilderment.
Savita then guided the squad to a bronze medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, ending India's 16-year podium drought at the Games. She played brilliantly in the bronze medal match against New Zealand.
"Savita was magnificent in defense of the Indian goal, often astounding her opponents with her ability to pull off saves from impossible situations. It therefore comes as no surprise that she received nearly twice as many votes from her peers around the world, as anyone else nominated in the best goalkeeper category at the FIH Hockey Stars Awards," the FIH said.
"Savita’s win comes from her goalkeeping heroics, but her impact on her team looms even larger, as not only is she the backbone of the Indian defense, but also plays a crucial role in leading the side, having taken over captaincy from the talismanic Rani Rampal, who missed large parts of the previous year due to injury." On Tuesday, India forward Mumtaz Khan was voted the FIH Women's Rising Star of the Year on the back of her stellar role during the country's campaign at the Junior World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.
