Odisha-based Namita Toppo, a member of the Indian women's hockey team has been conferred with the prestigious 'Ekalabya Puraskar' for her contribution to the game.
Namita was honoured for her performance from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020 at both national and international levels.
As a part of the award, Toppo also received a cash award of Rs. 5 lakh along with a citation, at a low-key ceremony in Bhubaneswar organized under strict COVID-19 guidelines.
Namita is a midfielder in the Indian women's team. She broke into the national team in 2012 at the FIH Champions Challenge in Dublin and was also felicitated with Asuntra Lakra Award for the upcoming player of the year Award in 2014 by Hockey India.
Namita, memorably, played a crucial role in India’s win over USA in an FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar in 2019. A 6-5 aggregate triumph meant that the Indian eves qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.
“It is the biggest honour for me to have won the Ekalabya Puraskar 2020. As a member of the Indian Women's Hockey team, it gives me great joy, and makes me proud of the whole team, because it is due to them that I have been able to perform well in the past year, especially after returning from a big injury,” she said in a Hockey India release.
This apart, weightlifter Sneha Soren and badminton player Rutaparna Panda were also honoured with a citation and Rs. 50,000 cash prize each.
The award instituted by IMPaCT, managed by IMFA, the leading Ferro Alloys producer in the country, in the year 1993 is given to encourage young sports talents of the state.
Joining the event through virtual mode, former MP and Imfa Charitable Trust trustee Baijayant Panda congratulated the three young talents.
