Indian badminton champion Saina Nehwal was nominated for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Female Player of the Year award for 2012 on Wednesday.
Saina’s nearest competitor for the nomination was World No.1 Li Xuerui of China, who won eight titles in 2012 including the Olympic and year-ending crowns. Li's competitor Wang Yihan—the winner of the Olympic silver in London, has also been elected along with the winning Olympic women's doubles pair of Zhao Yunlei and Tian Qing of China. In case a pair won, they would surely share the annual award.
The Indian World No.2 badminton ace Saina Nehwal of 2012, added feather to the hat. Apart from winning the bronze medal at the London Olympics, she was declared winner for the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold, Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold, Denmark Open Super Series Premier and the Indonesia Open Super Series Premier.
Or else, Chinese shuttlers led the nominations of the best badminton players of 2012. Among the list of Male Players of the Year are two-time Olympic gold medal winner Lin Dan of China and his regular rival and the existing World No.1 and a two-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.
Among the others in the category are the men's doubles Olympic gold medallists Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China and Lee Yong Dae, Olympic bronze medallist and winner of the BWF World Super Series Finals Chen Long of China and the currently retired Jung Jae Sung of South Korea, who won the men's doubles bronze medal at London Games.
The nominees for the Most Promising Player of the Year are Ratchanok Intanon and Busnan Ongbumrungpan of Thailand, Kento Momota and Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. The declaration of the winners and the presentation of prizes will occur at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on 18th May after the BWF Annual General Meeting.
