KalingaTV News Network
Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s ace heptathlon Purnima Hembram and renowned former footballer Debendra Prasad Singh will be honoured with Odisha Sports Journalists’ Association (OSJA) Annual Award 2017-18.
Purnima and Debendra Singh will be honoured with the Outstanding Sportsperson and Lifetime Achievement Awards respectively at a special function on the occasion of the foundation day of OSJA here tomorrow. Both the awards carry a cheque of Rs 25,000 each along with citation and memento.
Purnima, a native of Mayurbhanj district, garnered around 10 medals including six golds during the year 2017-18. This included gold in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games at Ashgabat in Turkmenistan and bronze in the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship at Kalinga Stadium, in Bhubaneswar.
The 24-year-old athlete also clinched gold in the 22nd Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championship earlier this month at Patiala.
On the other hand, Debendra Prasad Singh played and led the state as a towering defender in Santosh Trophy Senior National Football Championship for many years.
Debendra, a Cuttack-based retired Policeman, also represented India in one international friendly match against Burma (now Myanmar). His son Rajendra Prasad Singh is now the most-capped international footballer from Odisha.
Ms Kalinga