Vijender named Most Valuable Player of Asiad

New Delhi: Top Indian boxer Vijender Singh was on Thursday awarded the 'Samsung Most Valued Performance Award' of the Asian Games for his gold-winning performance at the continental mega event in Guangzhou.

The MVP award, which carries a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh worth of Samsung products, was decided by a panel of five distinguished sports journalists.

The jury while selecting Vijender for this prestigious award, acknowledged his consistent contribution in raising the stature of Indian boxing and his superlative achievement in beating the reigning world champion to win the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games despite a fractured thumb.

Vijender collected the award from J S Shin, President and CEO, Samsung South West Asia at a function here to felicitate Asian Games medal winners from different sports disciplines both for their individual and team performance. The medal winners were presented with LCD TVs and mobile phones.

Vijender said China proved to be a lucky place for him as he won gold there after a string of bronze medals in the Bejing Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

"Before the Asian Games I have won bronze medals in some top events. In the Commonwealth Games, I had really wanted to win a gold in front of the home crowd but that did not happen.

I won a gold in the Asian Games. China proved to be a lucky place for me," he said.

Lauding Samsung for their sponsorship of the Inadian team, Indian Olympic Association Secretary General Randhir Singh said, "Samsung India as team sponsors has been consistently contributing to Indian sports through their consistent support of the Olympic movement and their 'Sports Ratna' programme.

"This year, the Indian team has put up a very strong performance at the Asian Games and done the country proud. I would like to congratulate the entire Indian contingent and the medal winners on their achievements."

Ace marksman Gagan Narang said he was proud of having been the flag bearer of the Asian Games as Indian athletes had returned with the biggest ever medal haul.

"In the Doha Asiad I had won three bronze and I thought I would improve upon it. I am happy that I won a silver in Guangzhou though I would have loved a yellow colour medal. I just missed the gold by one point," he rued.

Narang conceded that the shooters could not repeat the impressive show at the Commonwealth Games and fell below the expectations of the people in the Asian Games.

Boxer Suranjoy Singh also rued that he did not win a gold in the men's 52kg category.

"I am disappointed I won a bronze, I thought I would win gold. Next time, I want another colour of the medal -- yellow colour," he said.

Besides Vijender, Asian Games gold medal winners who turmed up were Ashwini Akkunji (women's 400m hurdles), women's 4X400m relay team, rower Bajrang Lal Thakkar, boxer Vikas Krishan, kabaddi men and women teams.

Tennis players Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Singh, ace cueist Pankaj Advani, trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi, men's 400m hirdler Joseph Abraham, women's 3000m steeplechase gold winner Sudha Singh, women's 10000m winner Preeja Sridharan could not make it to the felicitation function.