Neeraj Chopra, Mithali Raj among 11 nominated for Khel Ratna, Shikhar Dhawan recommended for Arjuna award

Tokyo Olympics gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and silver medal-winning wrestler Ravi Dahiya were picked for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award apart from nine other athletes.

Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra is one of the prominent athletes taking part in Athletics at the Asian Games 2022 (Image: Twitter/ Neeraj Chopra)
By Arnab Mukherji | Oct 27, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj and legendary footballer Sunil Chhetri are among the 11 athletes nominated for this year’s Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award. Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan is among 35 sportspersons who have been recommended for the Arjuna Award by the national sports awards committee. The national sports awards were postponed by Sports Minister Anurag Thakur earlier. Thakur wanted the honours to be handed out after the Tokyo Olympics which took place in July-August.

Khel Ratna Awards 2021: Neeraj Chopra (Athletics), Ravi Dahiya (Wrestling), PR Sreejesh (Hockey), Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing), Sunil Chettri (Football), Mithali Raj (Cricket), Pramod Bhagat (Badminton), Sumit Antil (Athletics), Avani Lekhara (Shooting), Krishna Nagar (Badminton), Manish Narwal (Shooting)

Arjuna Award 2021: Yogesh Kathuniya (Discus throw), Nishad Kumar (High jump), Praveen Kumar (High jump), Sharad Kumar (High jump), Suhas LY (Badminton), Singhraj Adhana (Shooting), Bhavina Patel (Table Tennis), Harvinder Singh (Archery), Shikhar Dhawan (Cricket).

Due respect being given to Tokyo Paralympics stars

It is certainly quite nice to see Paralympians who made the nation proud in Tokyo like Avani Lekhara, Krishna Nagar being given the recognition they deserve. Avani Lekhara is the first Indian woman to win multiple medals in the history of the Paralympics. She is further the only Indian woman to win two medals in the same edition of the Paralympics. The shooter achieved the unique distinction after winning a bronze medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event of the recently concluded Tokyo Paralympics. Avani had scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the history of the Paralympics or even the Olympics, during the same event. The Indian shooter achieved this unique distinction in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 event, delivering a sensational performance.

Krishna Nagar was diagnosed with dwarfism at the age of two. The parathlete from Jaipur had to struggle to find acceptance in society. However, Krishna proved to be a giant who outshone all of them in Tokyo. Having breezed through the field in the entire tournament, he entered the final against Chu Man Kai of Hong Kong. In the first game, Chu Man Kai had a slender lead but the Indian bounced back to win the tight contest 21-17. In the second game, the Hong Kong player managed to win 16-21 as the gold medal match went into the decider. Chu Man Kai held the momentum in the first half of the game but Krishna did not give up. He turned the momentum and won the match 21-17 as the Indian became the second gold-medal winner for India.

PR Sreejesh elaborates on impact of historic Olympic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics

“People in my state, Kerala, have started playing hockey, which is very pleasing to see. Because till now, Kerala was only known for athletics and football. Hockey was never a popular sport in Kerala. One of my friends called me up and said kids in our village are playing hockey with PVC pipes. This is the change I wanted to see. Hopefully, we will be able to inspire the next generation,” he stated in an interaction with India Today.