It was a day that athletes Shivank Vijayakumar and Sarra Lajnef will remember for a long time after receiving the Adam Gilchrist Sports Award from the Australian legend himself.

The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) students beat hundreds of peers to the annual accolade following their remarkable sporting achievements so far.

Besides the award, cricketer Vijayakumar and swimmer Lajnef have been rewarded with scholarships and will study at UOWD this academic year with the university keen to see their sporting success grow.

For Lajnef, it capped a remarkable month, having won gold and three silver medals at the FINA World Masters Championship in August.

“It’s a great honour to receive this award,” said the 26-year-old Tunisian, who is doing a Masters of International Business.

“This award has come at the perfect time for me. It’s a testament to the university that they care so much about the success of their athletes. I want to help develop swimming at the university and try and form a strong swimming team that can compete in the UAE.”

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Wicket-keeper Vijayakumar, 20, a former UAE Under-19 player, ranked the achievement as his best. “It’s a dream come true,” the Bachelor of Engineering student said. “It’s going to help me move forward and is a reward for what I have done over the last couple of years.  

“Having Adam Gilchrist present the award to me is a morale boost and it’s a big day for me. It’s my biggest achievement and Adam is my idol and he’s the reason why I started the game.”

Three-time World Cup winner Gilchrist added: “I hope to be able to pass on a few tips to both of them to help them further their sporting careers. It’s an honour to have an award in my name which encourages students to combine their passion for sport with top-class education.”