Kathmandu, September 8

Football coaches Gyotoku Koji and Meghraj KC, athletics coach Pushpa Raj Ojha, cricket coach Jagat Tamatta and badminton coach Kiran Thapa are in the race for the Coach of the Year category of the Pulsar Sports Award to be organised by Nepal Sports Journalists Forum on September 11 at the Nepal Academy Hall.

Coach Koji guided Nepal to the AFC Solidarity Cup title in Malaysia last year which was first-ever trophy of the AFC-organised tournament.

Similarly, coach KC led Ruslan Three Star Club to the second round of the AFC Cup and also claimed the 64th Bordoloi Trophy in India.

Athletics coach Ojha, who guided athlete Saraswoti Bhattarai and Hari Kumar Rimal in the Rio Olympics, helped Tribhuvan Army Club claim 22 gold, 16 silver and eight bronze medals in the seventh National Games.

Under the coaching of national cricket team head coach Tamatta, Nepal won four out of six matches of the ICC World Cricket League Championship last year.

Nepal became only team to beat the Netherlands in the WCL Championship.

Badminton coach Thapa led Nepali team of Tamang siblings Ratnajit and Nangsal to Nepal’s first-ever gold medal in Pakistan International Series in mixed double category.