3 super young ladies deliberated Khel Ratna alongside Jitu Rai
New Delhi, Aug 29: It was a festival of lady force in games as Olympic stars PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Dipa Karmakar were today presented India’s most noteworthy donning honor – the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna – alongside shooter Jitu Rai in a sparkling grants service at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.
Without precedent for the historical backdrop of National Sports Awards, four competitors were decided for the Khel Ratna honor, attributable to the three young ladies’ superlative show at the Rio Olympics.
In 2009, three competitors – boxers Vijender Singh and M C Mary Kom and wrestler Sushil Kumar – had been given this recompense together.
Shuttler Sindhu won a memorable silver in the ladies’ singles, Sakshi won India’s first since forever award (bronze) in ladies’ wrestling while Dipa snatched a bit of history for herself with a fourth place complete in aesthetic tumbling with her now acclaimed Produnova vault.
Shooter Jitu Rai was dependably a contender after reliably creating award winning exhibitions in the most recent two years, including gold at the Asian and Commonwealth Games alongside a silver at the World Championships.
The four Khel Ratnas, who were welcomed with a noisy round of acclaim when they strolled up to get their recompenses from President Pranab Mukherjee, got an award, declaration and money prize of Rs. 7.5 lakh each.
Likewise regarded were 15 Arjuna awardees who got statuettes, authentications and grant cash of Rs.5 lakh each.
Long separation runner Lalita Babar, who completed a respectable tenth in the 3000m steeplechase in the Rio Games, boxer Shiva Thapa, just the third Indian to win a World Championships decoration a year ago, and hockey players VR Raghunath and Rani Rampal were among the individuals who got the Arjuna grant.
Cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, who was additionally chosen for the Arjuna Award, passed up a great opportunity for the function as he is in the United States with the Indian group for a Twenty20 arrangement against the West Indies.
Teenager Javelin hurler Neeraj Chopra, the main Indian competitor to wind up a title holder at any level with a gold award at the U-20 World Championship, was additionally among the Arjuna victors this year.
Goalkeeper Subrata Paul was the solitary footballer in the rundown of Arjuna awardees, which likewise included shooter Apurvi Chandela and wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
Vinesh got her recompense while situated on wheelchair as she is recuperating from a knee damage maintained in her second-round session amid the Rio Olympic Games.
The current year’s Dronacharya Award was presented upon six mentors, the most striking among them being Dipa’s mentor Bishweshwar Nandi and India Test group skipper Virat Kohli’s guide Raj Kumar Sharma.