KATHMANDU: The Nepal National and International Players Association (NNIPA) today declared the best players of the year in 29 disciplines based on their performance in the national and international sports arena. Keshari Chaudhary won the award in athletics while footballer Anil Gurung and cricketer Mehboob Alam were declared the best players in their respective disciplines. Also the winners were Ashish Maharjan in taekwondo, Bipendra Maharjan in basketball, Bikash Shrestha in badminton and Rupak Acharya in golf. New swimming sensation Karishma Karki, who stole the limelight winning 12 gold medals during the fifth National Games, was the unanimous decision. Olympian Kamal Bahadur Adhikari was declared the best weightlifter of the past year, Armyman Em Bahadur Magar took the award in volleyball, Nepal’s first FIDE Master Manish Hamal in chess and Mukhtar Alam in wrestling. The Nepal Wrestling Association also declared a cash prize of Rs 35,000 to Alam. Others sweeping the best player awards were Bhuwan Shrestha (wushu), Prem Bahadur Pun (archery), Dinesh Shrestha (boxing), Sajan Shrestha (cycling), Birendra Oli (full-contact karate) and Aman Shrestha (gymnastics). Also, Sonu Gupta (table tennis), Dambar Bahadur Baduwal (kabaddi), Bijay Karki (shooting), Bibek KC (handball), Shanti Tamang (ITF taekwondo), Sunita Magar (judo) and Rajendra Kumar Singh (kho kho) were awarded during a programme here today. Suvadra Shrestha took the best player award in karate while tennis sensation Preeti Rijal, snooker player Saroj Kumar Mulmi and squash player Bhawana Sunuwar were also recognised for their performance in the past year. Constituent Assembly Chairman Subash Chandra Nembang gave away the awards. Meanwhile, the players selected for the 11th South Asian Games, beginning late this month in Dhaka, were also feted during the programme. CA Chairman Nembang, CA members Gagan Thapa and Raj Kaji Maharjan, Nepal Olympic Committee President Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan and vice-president Jeevan Ram Shrestha, National Sports Council vice-president Pitambar Timalsina and Member Secretary Hari Babu Chaudhary felicitated the players. The NNIPA also raised around Rs 100,000 for the seriously injured taekwondo player Ashok Khadka. Khadka broke his leg during an international tournament in Lucknow and is currently in a serious condition after developing an infection to his injury at the Orthopedic Hospital in Kathmandu.