New Delhi : India’s tennis ace Sania Mirza on Saturday said it was a ‘huge honour’ to be conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the recognition will push her further to do well on the professional tour and next year’s Rio Olympics.
Amongst Sania’s many achievements, what stands out is her women’s doubles triumph at Wimbledon with partner Martina Hingis earlier this year, becoming doubles world number one and now the Khel Ratna, country’s highest sporting honour. “I would not like to pick any and say one was a bigger achievement than the other. It is a simply a huge honour to get this award. It has been an amazing year so far, becoming the world number one and winning the Wimbledon of course,” Sania told PTI after receiving the award from President Pranab Mukherjee.
Sania got the honour with the awards mired in controversy again. Her recommendation for Khel Ratna was challenged by para-athlete H N Girisha in the Karnataka High Court, which sent notices to the Sports Ministry and the tennis player herself.
Asked about controversies year after year in the National Sports Awards, Sania bluntly refused to comment.
The star further said that she is looking forward to the US Open starting on Monday and is not thinking about Rio Olympics yet.
“As tennis players, we prepare for the upcoming season. I want to do well in Rio but it is too early to talk about the preparation for the event,” said Sania.
Alongwith the tennis ace, 12 others, including ace shooter Jitu Rai and hockey goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh were conferred with the Arjuna award. This year’s ceremony had its fair share of controversy as well since a division bench of the Delhi High Court on Saturday stayed a single-judge order directing the Centre to give the prestigious Dronacharya award to former national wrestling coach Vinod Kumar.
The Dronacharya award — conferred on eminent coaches — went to Anoop Kumar Dahiya (wrestling), Harbans Singh (athletics), Swatantar Raj Singh (boxing), Nihar Ameen (swimming) and Naval Singh (para-athletics).
In a glittering function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, President Pranab Mukherjee also handed out Arjuna awards to wrestlers Bajrang Singh, men’s singles shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, archer Sandeep Kumar, 2014 Commonwealth Games medal winning gymnast Dipa Karmakar, kabaddi players Manjeet Chillar and Abhilasha Shashikant Mhatre, roller skater Anup Kumar Yama, weightlifter Sivalingam Sathish Kumar, wushu athlete Y. Sanathoi Devi and para-swimmer Sharath M. Gaekwad.
Boxer Mandeep Jangra, women’s 400 metre runner M.R. Poovamma, female wrestler Babita Kumari, cricketer Rohit Sharma and rower Swarn Singh Virk were also named for the Arjuna award, but could not attend the function.
Jangra, Poovamma, Babita and Sharma are currently participating in international competitions abroad while Virk, who won gold at the Asian Rowing Championship in 2013, is in hospital with an injury.
They will receive their awards at a later date from sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Former India volleyball captain T.P.P. Nair, Davis Cup captain S.P. Misra and former hockey goalkeeper Romeo James bagged the Dhyan Chand award.
Meanwhile, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award went to Arunima Sinha and Jot Singh (both land adventure), Wing Commander Paramvir Singh (water adventure), Lt. Colonel (retd.) Satyendra Verma (air adventure) and Colonel (Retd.) Satish Chander Sharma (lifetime achievement). —AGENCIES
