Mahindra Scorpio TOISA: Winners humbled on being honoured

MUMBAI: The Mahindra Scorpio Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) 2017 were bestowed upon the best athletes and mentors Indian Sports had to offer. India's golden girl PV Sindhu bagged the Sportsperson of the Year award, to go with to 23 other awards given to sportspersons from various categories.
The coach-pupil duo of Bisheshwar Nandi and Dipa Karmakar took away the Coach of the Year and the Gymnast of the Year award respectively.Nandi was the guiding force behind Dipa's performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she came within striking distance of a medal finish. Nandi, a five-time national champion and Dronacharya awardee expressed delight on receiving the honour.
"Needless to say, I'm extremely happy on winning the Coach of the year Award. But more importantly, I'm happy for Dipa. Her performance during the Olympics has put India on the map and I'm extremely proud of her," Nandi told Times of India Sports during the event.
"What made this occasion special was to be in the presence of the great Nadia Comaneci, who has been the reason behind so many athletes taking up gymnastics in the first place. We feel extremely lucky to have met such a legend and interacted with her."
Another veteran of his craft, Indian hockey great Ajit Pal Singh, who has the distinction of being the only Indian captain to lift the World Cup, was the recipient of the TOISA Lifetime Achievement Award. Singh was the captain of India's first World Cup team and the only hockey player to lead the country at the coveted tournament twice.
"It's not every day that we former sportspersons are remembered in this manner. I am greatly humbled by this honour," Singh told TOI Sports. "It's great to see such initiatives being taken in India, a country with such rich legacy and history in sports."
The Archer of the Year was awarded to Atanu Das, who edged out his Rio Olympics compatriots Deepika Kumari and Abhishek Verma. At last year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Das, 24, made it to the pre-quarters of the men's individual event on the back of some stunning performances. In December, at the Indoor Archery World Cup in Bangkok, Das scored 593 out of a possible 600 points at the second stage. His current world ranking is 14.
"It was a first such awards night that I've been to and it feels great to be in the company of such sportstars and legends," Das told TOI Sports. "I'm extremely happy that my performance was recognised in this manner. I thank TOISA and wish them all the best. Hope it continues and gets bigger with time."
This year's awards proudly honoured the four lion-hearts who scripted India's most successful Paralympics ever: javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, who broke his own record while claiming his second medal; Deepa Malik, who won silver in the shot put F-53 event to become the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal; and high jumpers Mariyappan Thangavelu, who created history by winning gold, and Varun Bhati who claimed bronze.
Deepa, already India's most decorated female paraplegic athlete, won a silver medal in the shot put F-53 event at the Paralympics, thus becoming the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal.
"I'm really honoured that this happened. I have one more Paralympics to go and this time I'm not just determined to change the colour of the medal but ensure that it's a gold," Deepa said during her interaction with TOI Sports. "I feel very honoured to receive the TOISA award as I'm sure the other three Paralympians are as well."