Vivek Prasad voted world hockey’s rising player 2019
MUMBAI: HAVING secured a permanent place in midfield and two years after making his senior India team debut, Vivek Sagar Prasad’s exploits were recognised by coaches, experts and administrators worldwide as he was voted the best young player by international hockey federation (FIH) for 2019.
The 19-year-old from Hoshangabad, a product of the Madhya Pradesh government’s hockey academy in Bhopal, polled 34.5% of votes, finished ahead of Argentina’s Maico Casella (22%) and Australia’s Blake Govers (20.9%). He got 50% of votes cast by representatives of national associations, 23% of the media votes and 15.1% of the fan/player votes.
Prasad made his senior team debut at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games as a 17-yearold and within a year cemented his place, filling the hole left by the retirement of Sardar Singh. In 2019, as the Indian team qualified for the Olympics, Prasad’s performances in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, in which he scored two goals, and FIH Series Finals, in which he was adjudged the best young player, earned him praise.
Prasad was elated but is determined not to rest on his laurels. “I am happy to win this award; to get noticed for your performance in a team is a good achievement. But I will have to thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the federation without whose support I could not have won this award,” Prasad said. He hopes to be an inspiration to young players from Madhya Pradesh, where hockey has long lost the battle to cricket. “I have learned from my seniors and I hope youngsters from my state take inspiration from my winning this award,” he said.
Prasad picked his performance in the 2018 Champions Trophy as the most significant yet.