New Delhi, August 12: Sania Mirza on Tuesday became only the second tennis player to be recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, while athlete M R Poovamma was among the 17 sportspersons picked for this year’s Arjuna awards.
Sania, currently ranked world number one in women’s doubles, scripted history by becoming the first Indian to clinch a women’s doubles Grand Slam when she partnered Swiss great Martina Hingis for the Wimbledon trophy earlier this year.
The 28-year-old, who has won three mixed doubles Grand Slams in her career, beat competition from squash player Deepika Pallikal, discus thrower Vikas Gowda, track and field star Tintu Luka, rising shuttler P V Sindhu, and hockey captain Sardar Singh for the coveted honour.
Sania’s name was recommended by a Sports Ministry- constituted awards committee headed by Justice V K Bali, the retired Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.
The committee included eminent athletes such as Dola Banerjee, MM Somayya and Bhogeshwar Baruah and sports journalists apart from top officials of the Sports Ministry.
Poovamma has won the gold in the 4x 400 meters relay and a bronze in the 400 meters in the Incheon Asian Games last year.
She also won silver in the 400 meters race in the Asian Championships held at Wuhan in China in June.
Machettira Raju Poovamma, hails from Gonikoppal in Coorg district. She is pursuing her BBM in SDM College of Business Management in Mangaluru and now set her eyes on the Rio Olympics-2016.
She will also be participating in the World Championships to be held in Beijing from August 22nd.
It is learnt that the committee recommended 17 names for the Arjuna awards, including those of Jitu, Rohit, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, hockey player PR Sreejesh, wrestling duo of Bajrang and Babita, athlete MR Poovamma, shuttler K Srikanth and boxer Mandeep Jangra.
The recommendations will now be sent to Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who will take a final decision. Only after the Sports Minister signs the file, the names would be made public. The awards are to be given away by the President Pranab Mukherjee on August 29th, the National Sports Day.
The Khel Ratna carries a prize money of Rs 7.5 lakh along with a citation, while the Arjuna awards come with a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.
Besides doing well on the professional circuit, Sania had also won the gold medal and the bronze medal in the mixed and women’s doubles categories of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
The Hyderabadi girl had won the Arjuna award in 2004 and was the favourite for the top award this year. In 2006, she was bestowed the Padma Shri — the country’s fourth highest civilian honour.
Sania’s mixed doubles trophies had come in the Australian Open (2009), French Open (2012) and US Open (2014).
The list of sportspersons recommended for Arjuna awards: PR Sreejesh (hockey), Dipa Karmakar (gymnastics), Jitu Rai (shooting), Sandeep Kumar (archery), Mandeep Jangra (boxing), Babita (wrestling), Bajrang (wrestling), Rohit Sharma (cricket), K Srikanth (badminton), Swarn Singh Virk (rowing), Satish Sivalingam (weightlifting), Santhoi Devi (wushu), Sharath Gaekwad (para-sailing), MR Poovamma (athletics), Manjeet Chhillar (kabaddi), Abhilasha Mhatre (kabaddi), Anup Kumar Yama (roller skating).
