NEW DELHI: Hockey midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad, shortlisted for FIH Rising Star of the Year Awards 2020-21.for the second time, has described this nomination as "overwhelming"

Having won the FIH Rising Star of the Year Award last year and being nominated yet again after a brilliant showing in Tokyo Olympics, Vivek opined  "I never imagined this would happen again. It's a surreal feeling to have been nominated for the second time in the same category (FIH Rising Star of the Year Awards).

I got to know this late in the night when I saw texts from my friends congratulating me for this. To be honest, it's really overwhelming".

It's the result of teamwork and the support of senior players. Since my debut, senior players have been the biggest source of my motivation. 

They have helped me play my natural game without any fear and pressure, and that is the biggest reason behind why I could win the 2019 FIH Rising Star of the Year Award and also stand a chance to win the accolade for the second time,"  he said 

Vivek played an important role in India's Bronze Medal-winning feat at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. 

Talking about the feeling of becoming an Olympic medalist at the age of 21, Vivek expressed, "It hasn't really sunk in yet. I still can't believe I was part of the Olympic medal-winning team.

It's a dream of every athlete, and I am really blessed to be able to live this dream at the age of 21.

However, we also need to realize that this is just the beginning, and there's still a lot of room for improvement. We have raised the bar, and we have to do even better. There will be more challenges ahead, and we need to be fully prepared for whatever comes our way," he added.