Star cricketer Rohit Sharma and adorned girl wrestler Vinesh Phogat had been among the many 4 athletes advisable on Tuesday for this yr’s Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award — the nation’s highest sporting honour. Ladies’s desk tennis star Manika Batra and Rio Paralympic gold-winning excessive jumper Mariappan Thangavelu had been the opposite two sportspersons advisable for the celebrated award by a 12-member choice committee of the Sports activities Ministry. That is solely the second time that 4 athletes have been advisable for the highest sporting accolade.
In 2016, star shuttler P V Sindhu, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, shooter Jitu Rai, and wrestler Sakshi Malik had been collectively given this award.
The 33-year-old Rohit will solely be the fourth cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, just-retired Mahendra Singh Dhoni and present skipper Virat Kohli to be conferred with the Khel Ratna.
Tendulkar was the primary Indian cricketer to get the Khel Ratna in 1998, adopted by Dhoni in 2007 and Kohli in 2018, who received it collectively with weightlifter Mirabai Chanu.
The committee, comprising the likes of Virender Sehwag and former hockey captain Sardar Singh, met on the Sports activities Authority of India (SAI) headquarters.
Whereas Rohit has been recognised for his ever-rising accomplishments with the bat, Vinesh has been rewarded for her gold medals within the 2018 Commonwealth and Asian Video games apart from a bronze within the 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships.
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Thangavelu received the popularity for his gold medal within the 2016 Rio Paralympics within the T42 excessive soar class. T42 applies to athletes with single above the knee amputations or a incapacity that’s comparable.
Star paddler Manika was advisable for her outstanding efficiency in 2018, a yr throughout which she received the Commonwealth Video games gold medal and Asian Video games bronze in girls”s singles.
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