Indian Hockey superstar Rani is The World Games Athlete of the Year 2019! Huge congratulations!
With an impressive number of votes, 199,477, Rani is the clear winner of the Athlete of the Year race, where sports fans all over the world have voted for their favourite during 20 days of polling in January. All in all, over 705,610 votes were cast during the poll.
In 2019, India won the FIH Series Finals, and Rani was named Player of the Tournament. With Rani’s lead, India qualified in 2019 for just the 3rd Olympic Games in their history.
“Rani is an inspirational athlete, and a role model for many in India. It was amazing to see the support the Indians, even as high up as Mr Rijiju, the Minister of State, Youth Affairs and Sports, gave to her in this vote together with the Hockey fans all around the world. This is what sport is about: uniting people from different backgrounds and different countries,” says IWGA President José Perurena.
Rani is currently playing matches in New Zealand. She promoted the poll in social media and was thrilled to win the title:
“I dedicate this award to the entire hockey fraternity, my team and my country. This success has only become possible with the love and support from hockey lovers, fans, my team, Coaches, Hockey India, my government, friends from Bollywood, fellow sportspersons and my countrymen who have continuously voted for me. Special thanks to FIH for nominating me for this prestigious award. Thank you to The World Games Federation for this recognition.”
CEO of the International Hockey Federation FIH, Thierry Weil says: “On behalf of FIH and the global hockey community, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Rani for having been voted The World Games Athlete of the Year 2019. This is an acknowledgement of her outstanding performances - together with her team-mates - and her dedication to hockey and her leadership. This prestigious Award is also a great recognition for hockey globally. Furthermore, we are working hard for and looking forward to having Hockey 5s as a demonstration sport at The World Games 2021.”
Second in the race with over 92,000 votes came Karate star Stanislav Horuna (UKR) and third was Rhaea Stinn (CAN), Powerlifting World Champion and World Record holder.
“It has been amazing to follow how sports fans all over the world have continued to support their candidates from Day 1. It warms my heart to see fans from 25 different sports activated and voting for their candidate right to the end. Whether one of the top three or somewhere below, the fans have shown their support and love for their sport. I congratulate the winner Rani and the runners-up Stanislav Horuna and Rhaea Stinn for their amazing campaigns, and all the others taking part. I hope to see you all in Birmingham in 2021!” Perurena concludes.
You will learn more about the winners and the runners-up in the upcoming days. They will get an Athlete of the Year trophy and a branded gift from the Official Sponsor, Protective Life.
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Protective Life Corporation provides financial services through the production, distribution and administration of insurance and investment products throughout the U.S. The company traces its roots to the corporation’s flagship company, Protective Life Insurance Company – founded in 1907. Throughout its more than 110-year history, Protective’s growth and success can be largely attributed to its ongoing commitment to serving people and doing the right thing – for its employees, distributors, and most importantly, its customers. The company’s home office is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and its 3,000 employees are located in offices across the United States. As of December 31 2018, the Company had assets of approximately $90 billion. Protective Life Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750). For more information about Protective, please visit www.Protective.com.
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 15-25 July 2021. 3,600 athletes from over 30 sports and 100 countries will take part in the Games.
