PM Modi names Khel Ratna Award after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand
The Award is administered by the Sports Ministry and given away every year at a special function by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhawan
The Award is administered by the Sports Ministry and given away every year at a special function by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhawan
Notably, the off-spinner who has taken 417 Test wickets and 269 ODI wickets, is an Arjuna awardee and was also given Padma Shri.
Sardar Singh was the last hockey player to win the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
The process, which usually starts in April, has been delayed due to the pandemic.
At 11, his brother suggested he take his badminton seriously and Gopi, as he is affectionately known as, never looked back from then.
Notably, Bajrang had clinched the gold medal in the 65-kg freestyle event in the Asian Games competition which was held in Jakarta.
After being awarded as the "Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament" at the 2008 Junior Asia Cup, Sreejesh was later also crowned as the "Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament" at the 2013 Asia Cup where India won the silver medal.
Asian Games bronze medallist Heena, in 2013, became the first Indian pistol shooter to win a gold medal in an ISSF World Cup finals when she won the 10m Air Pistol event.
Punia recently stamped his authority on Asia after he won the Asian Wrestling Championships in Xi'an, China. On the other hand, Vinesh became the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in both Commonwealth and Asian games.
The elegant right-handed batsman is the third Indian cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni to receive the honour.
