Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra nominated for Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award
London, Feb 2: Olympic gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was on Wednesday nominated for the prestigious Laureus 'World Breakthrough of the Year' award, making him the first Indian to be featured in the short-list for this category.
He was clubbed alongside tennis stars Daniil Medvedev and Emma Raducanu among others.
The 23-year-old Chopra last year became only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal and first in track and field in Tokyo with a throw of 87.58 metres in his second attempt. The performance catapulted him to superstar status in India and also brought him worldwide acclaim.
"...it's a great honour for me to be recognised in the wider sporting world for what I achieved in Tokyo. From being a kid in a small village in rural India who only took up sport to get fit, to standing on top of an Olympic podium, it's been quite an eventful journey so far," Chopra said in a statement issued by The Laureus Academy.
"I feel privileged to be able to represent my country and win India medals at the global stage, and now to have this recognition from Laureus and be considered alongside such exceptional athletes is a really special feeling."
He is now only the third Indian to fetch a Laureus nomination after cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
Phogat was nominated in the 'Laureus World Sporting Comeback' category for the year 2019, while Tendulkar won the 'Laureus best sporting moment in the last 20 years' in 2020.
The moment in consideration was Tendulkar's teammates lifting him on their shoulders after India won the 2011 ODI World Cup at home.
A panel of more than 1,300 sports journalists and broadcasters of the world have selected the nominees in each of the seven categories for this year's Laureus World Sports Awards.
The winners will be revealed in April, following a vote by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the world's ultimate sports jury, made up of 71 of the greatest sporting legends of all time.
At the 2016 World Under-20 Championships, Chopra won the gold medal.
Also nominated with Chopra for the Breakthrough Award are FC Barcelona's football prodigy Pedri, the 19-year-old who was voted best young player at the Ballon d'Or, Yulimar Rojas, who broke the 26-year-old triple jump world record, and swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who twice beat champion Katie Ledecky at 200 and 400m in Tokyo.
The battle for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award will be one of the most competitive ever.
The short-list features NFL star Tom Brady, Bayern Munich's prolific goal-scorer Robert Lewandowski, new Formula One world champion Max Verstappen, tennis world no.1 Novak Djokovic, and two of the greatest Olympians -- swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who won five gold medals in Tokyo, and Eliud Kipchoge, who won back-to-back marathon gold medals.
Several top-notch Olympic performances dominate the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year category.
Elaine Thompson-Herah matched fellow Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt with gold medals in the 100, 200 and 4x100 metres relay; Allyson Felix passed Carl Lewis as the most decorated track and field US Olympian; Australian swimmer Emma McKeon's four gold and three bronze tied the record for the most medals ever won by a woman in a single Olympic Games; and American swimmer Katie Ledecky won two more gold and two silver medals.
Italy's men's football team is among the frontrunners for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award after their victory in Euro 2020. There are two other football nominees -- the Argentina men's football team, including Lionel Messi, who won the Copa America; and FC Barcelona women's football side, who won their first Champions League.
They are joined by China's Olympic diving team, who won gold medals in seven of the eight events, the Milwaukee Bucks, inspired by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ended their 50-year wait for a second NBA championship, and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team which won a record eighth consecutive Constructors' World Championship.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Woman's death: Under fire Pune-based Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital announces 'no deposit' policy
Pune (PTI) The Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Maharashtra's Pune city, under fire for allegedly turning away a pregnant woman over non-payment of Rs 10 lakh as advance for treatment, on Saturday announced it would no longer be taking deposits from patients at the emergency department.
The woman, wife of the personal secretary of BJP MLC Amit Gorkhe, had to be shifted to another hospital where she died after delivering twins. The incident hit national headlines and evoked strong condemnation from leaders cutting across party lines as well as protests from citizens' groups.
In an open letter, the hospital's medical director Dr Dhananjay Kelkar said, "In the early years of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, we never took a deposit. But as the number of critical cases increased and the cost of complex treatments rose, the hospital began taking deposits in certain high-cost cases."
"However, in light of yesterday's events, we have re-evaluated this practice and passed a resolution that the hospital will no longer take any deposit from patients entering through the Emergency Department, including emergency deliveries and paediatric emergencies. This will be implemented with immediate effect," Dr Kelkar said in the letter.
ALSO READ: Woman died post delivery after Pune hospital refused admission over Rs 10 lakh deposit
He defended the hospital by reiterating that he had personally told the woman's kin to pay as per their ability and also offered all help, but they left with the patient without informing anyone.
While it is factually incorrect and unfair to hold the hospital directly responsible for the incident and the unfortunate death, the hospital is still investigating whether it showed adequate sensitivity towards the patient, Dr Kelkar added.
"I had myself told the woman's relatives to pay whatever amount they could as a deposit and assured them of complete support. However, they left the hospital with the patient without informing anyone," he stated.
Alluding to the protests at the hospital by various political parties on Friday, Dr Kelkar termed it as a "black day".
Without any regard for the hospital's legacy and services, a group participating in the morcha (protest) threw coins at the public relations officer, while some women activists allegedly barged into a hospital run by the parents of Dr. Sushrut Ghaisas and vandalized it.
Dr Ghaisas has been accused by the kin of the deceased woman seeking the deposit ahead of admission.
"Our heads hung in shame when some protestors blackened the names of Lata Mangeshkar and Deenanath Mangeshkar, all of this taking place in front of media cameras," Dr Kelkar said.
An internal inquiry report of the Mangeshkar Hospital had claimed on Friday that the allegations of denial of admission for non-payment of Rs 10 lakh were "misleading" and made "out of frustration" by her family.
The woman's pregnancy was in the high-risk category, and her two underweight foetuses of seven months, coupled with a history of an old ailment, required Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) treatment for at least two months, it said.
The treatment required Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh and the family was advised that in case of lack of funds, they could admit the patient to the government-run Sassoon General Hospital for a complicated surgery, it added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced the formation of an inquiry panel under the Pune-based Joint Commissioner of Charity to look into the incident.
