Sportskeeda's Indian Sportsperson of the Year 2016 – No. 25 to No. 16

2016 has been a banner year for sports in India. With the biggest sporting saga of the world, the Olympic Games, along with the Paralympic Games, the Kabaddi World Cup, the T20 World Cup happening in this year, 2016 was a year like no other.

2016 saw several sportspersons from India putting their best foot forward and bringing glory to the country in their respective sports. In a country where people are obsessed with cricket, the achievements by the sportspersons across all sports have broken an invisible barrier.

Despite all the hardships that they faced, these sportspersons preserved until they succeeded. It is this effort that needs to be lauded and in a bid to do that, we at Sportskeeda have tried to compile a list of the India’s top 25 standout talents from the 2016 sporting season, culminating in the crowning of Sportskeeda’s Indian Sportsperson of the Year 2016.

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#25 Manish Singh Rawat

Racewalking as a sport is not something that is glorified in India. And yet, the story of racewalker Manish Singh Rawat and what he has achieved over the last 12 months will amaze you.

The 25-year-old finished 13^th in the 20km event at the Rio Olympics. Yes, he did not win a medal but he defeated some of the best race walkers in the world in the process. He missed out on a bronze medal by less than a minute registering a timing of 1:21:21.

What is incredible about his feat is he never got the formal training that one needs to excel at the Olympics. Coming from a poor upbringing, Manish had to work as a farmer, a dishwasher, a labourer on a farm and even drove a tractor to make ends meet. He trained on the foothills of the Himalayas wearing torn shoes.

And yet, he managed to beat some of the world’s bests including four former world champions, three Asian champions, two European champions and two Olympic medallists. To work two part-time jobs a day and then finish in the top 15 is a huge achievement in itself and thus he is 25^th on our list.

#24 Atanu Das

Das bowed out in the pre-quarters in Rio 2016

Much was expected from the Indian archers at the Rio Olympics. Alas, the archers were unable to perform as expected. However, one archer, Atanu Das, stood out in the crowd with a good showing. Not much had been touted about this 24-year-old archer before the Olympics and no one expected him to go as far as he did.

After finishing a respectable fifth in the ranking rounds, he put in a good performance in the pre-quarterfinals against World No. 8 Lee Seungyun of Korea. He hit six 10s and eight 9s but was denied from progressing further by a spotless performance by his opponent.

Later in the year, he took part in the Indoor Archery World Cup and was the best performing Indian at the event. He carried on from his good showing at the Olympics to finish fourth in men’s recurve. Atanu qualified for the knock-out stages with a superb 593 out of a maximum 600 and reached the semi-finals.

But his brilliant run was cut short by eventual gold medallist Kim Jae Hyeung and he also missed out on the bronze medal narrowly. His performance throughout the year sees him being placed at 24^th on our list.

#23 Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur was the most impressive Indian women’s cricketer this year

The Indian women’s cricket team had a topsy-turvy year. While they managed to secure many memorable victories, the disappointing outcome at the World T20 Championship at home is a blip that tends to overshadow all their successes. Nevertheless, they ended the year on a high by winning the Asia Cup after defeating archenemies Pakistan in the final.

The standout performer for India of 2016 was all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur. She scored 202 runs in nine ODIs at an average of 25.25 and picked up two wickets. In T20Is she had a much better outing, scoring 426 runs in 15 matches at an average of 38.72 and took 10 wickets.

Kaur helped India to a series win in Australia scoring 31-ball 46 in India’s highest ever run chase in T20Is. She was also stellar in the World T20 Championship scoring 89 runs and taking 7 wickets in four matches. In June, she became the first Indian to be signed on by a Women’s Big Bash League side when Sydney thunders signed her.

Recently, she was handed over the T20I captaincy. Kaur repaid the faith bestowed upon her by the selectors by leading India to their sixth Asia Cup title. Her performances over the year see her place at 23^rd on this list.

#22 Jeje Lalpekhlua

Jeje was named the 2016 AIFF Player of the Year

Jeje Lalpekhlua has had a merengue through the football calendar of 2016. He started the year by helping India lift the SAFF Championship when he scored a goal in the final against Afghanistan and ended the year by winning the 2016 Player of the Year given by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

The striker has been in terrific form this season. He scored five goals in 13 appearances for Mohun Bagan as his side finished 2^nd in the I-League. Jeje then helped Bagan win the Federation Cup, by scoring a brace in the final against Aizawl FC. He top scored in the tournament with eight goals from four matches.

The 25-year-old also scored six goals in seven AFC Cup appearances as Bagan made it to the pre-quarter-finals. He scored a brace for India in the 6-1 win over Laos and yet another goal in the 4-1 win over Puerto Rico. This win helped India climb up to 137^th spot in the FIFA rankings, their highest since 2009.

In the Indian Super League, Jeje scored thrice for his side Chennayin FC, who finished seventh. Nevertheless, his goal scoring spree throughout the year sees him positioned at 22^nd on our list.

#21 Abhinav Bindra

Bindra was the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent at Rio 2016

Abhinav Bindra’s name will forever be etched in the history of Indian sports as he went on to became India’s first and only individual gold medallist at the Olympics in 2008. This year, however, he failed to replicate his performance in Beijing, although coming agonisingly close to another podium finish.

Bindra, who was the Indian contingent’s flag-bearer in the opening ceremony at Rio, performed admirably. He was eliminated, losing out in a tie-breaker to finish in the fourth place. The margin by which he missed out on a medal would be somewhere between 99.99 percent and 100 percent perfection.

The result was heartbreaking for all Indian fans. The “sight” of Bindra’s rifle had broken just before the start of the event and unfortunately he did not have a spare one. The specimen that the ace shooter was using was a prototype, specifically created for the range in Rio.

It proved to be the deciding factor in Bindra’s quest for another medal. Although he failed to win a medal, his efforts were remarkable given the circumstances and he finds his name on 21^st on our list.

#20 Ajay Jayaram

Ajay Jayaram performed superbly in Superseries tournaments

This year has truly belonged to the shuttlers of India and Ajay Jayaram has been one of the exponents in the sport. Although he missed out on an Olympic berth, his performances in several Superseries tournaments and other events were commendable, to say the least.

Jayaram had a stellar year and is certainly on the brink of something huge. His best performance this year was the appearance in the final of the Dutch Open in October. However, he lost out to Tzu Wei Wang of Chinese Taipei after giving a good fight.

He made numerous semi-final appearances throughout the year but failed to turn up when it mattered the most. In the Canada Open, Jayaram reached the semis before being ousted by Lee Dyon II. He also bowed out of the semi-finals of the US Open Grand Prix Gold after losing to Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan.

He made it to the quarter-finals of the China Open Superseries but lost out to Olympic champion Chen Long. The story remained unchanged at the Hong Kong Open Superseries where the shuttler lost in the semis yet again. Nevertheless, he finished the year with a career-best ranking of 19 and finds his name on 20^th on our list.

#19 Rupinder Pal Singh

Indian hockey had a good year and Rupinder’s performances were noteworthy

This year, the Indian Hockey team has shown the world that they are a team to reckon with and one the integral members of the team was Rupinder Pal Singh. Arguably, one of the best drag-flick specialists in the world, this serial goal-scorer has been in top form this year.

Rupinder started the year with a brilliant performance at the 2016 Hockey India League. He top-scored for Delhi Waveriders and ended the tournament by winning the player of the tournament. He also played a crucial role at the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament and the Champions Trophy in London. India finished as runners-up in both the tournaments.

His best performance, however, came at the Asian Champions Trophy. The 26-year-old netted 11 goals in the tournament as India went on to lift the trophy by beating Pakistan in the finals. His goal in the final ensured India’s 3-2 victory over their fierce rivals.

Rupinder was awarded the player of the tournament yet again as he ended as the top-scorer. His goals helped India re-establish their forte in hockey and he is placed at 19^th on our list.

#18 Lalita Babar

Babar became the first long-distance runner to qualify for the Olympics in 32 years

Lalita Babar is a long-distance runner who became the first Indian to make it to the finals of any track event in the Olympics in 32 years.

She predominantly competes in the 3000m steeplechase and is the reigning Asian champion. Before the Olympics, Lalita broke her own national record with a timing of 9:28.09 at the Federation Cup National Athletics Championships in New Delhi in April.

The 27-year-old steeplechaser finished Heat 2 of the 3000m steeplechase event at the Rio Olympics with a timing of 9:19.76, thus bettering her own mark. This saw her secure a berth in the finals. PT Usha was the first Indian to achieve this feat back in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics when she qualified for the finals in women’s 400m hurdles.

In the finals, however, she could not replicate her performance in the heats and finished 10^th with a timing of 9:22.74 despite her best efforts. Lalita came so close to winning a medal in an event in which India has never won one and she finds her name on 18^th on our list.

#17 Aditi Ashok

Aditi Ashok was leading at Rio 2016 before falling down the rankings

Aditi Ashok has excelled in a sport that is not the most popular sport in India. She is only 18 years of age, but she is already the best female talent in golf that the country has ever produced.

Earlier in the year, she became the first Indian female golfer to qualify for the Olympics. Although she performed well on the first two days at Rio, Ashok fell back on the last day and eventually finished 31^st. However, her achievement is no less remarkable given that this was her debut at the Olympics.

She followed up her performance at the Olympics with three consecutive top 10 finishes at the Ladies European Tour, thus becoming the first Indian to do so. Aditi’s best performance, however, came at the Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurugram. She carded an even-par at the DLF Golf and Country club to emerge as the victor on the final day.

The 18-year-old ended the year on a high with a tied third finish at the Dubai Ladies Masters tournament. The third place finish ensured that Aditi won the Rookie of the Year award and the 17^th position on this list.

#16 PR Sreejesh

PR Sreejesh is the captain of the Indian hockey team

India Hockey team’s custodian and captain, PR Sreejesh, is one of the reasons of the huge success in Hockey this year. He is the one who holds the team together like glue.

This year he was made the captain of the team replacing Sardar Singh and he soon repaid the faith. Sreejesh led the team to two silver medals in the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament and the Champions Trophy in London.

He has impressed hockey experts and fans alike and has been nominated for the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year award. Sreejesh did miss out on the Asian Champions Trophy and the Australian tour through injury.

However, the best moment of 2016 for him came in the Junior Hockey World Cup. Sreejesh was appointed as the goalkeeping coach of the junior team, his first coaching stint. The colts did not disappoint as India went on to lift the Junior Hockey World Cup after a gap of 15 years. His efforts, both as a player and as a coach, sees him placed on 16^th on this list.