8 para-sports personalities to receive awards

NEW DELHI: An unprecedented eight para-sports personalities will receive the National Sports Awards, including the Khel Ratna to Paralympics gold medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu, virtually on August 29.

Mariyappan becomes only the third Indian para-athlete to be awarded the Khel Ratna award, the country’s highest sporting honour, after former Paralympic medallists Devendra Jhajharia and Deepa Malik.

While Para-athlete Sandeep Chaudhary, para-shooter Manish

Narwal and para-swimmer Suyash Jadhav have made it to the list of 27 Arjuna awardees announced by the Sports Ministry on Friday.

With the latest addition, the number of para-athletes winning the Arjuna awards has reached 30 and altogether a total number of 47 National Sports Award winners from the Para-sport fraternity since its inception in 1961.

Indian para-powerlifting founder and national coach Vijay Munishwar has been included in the list for the Dronacharya Lifetime award for his services to the sport.

Among the Dhyan Chand awardees, J Ranjit Kumar and Sathya Prakash Tiwari have been named in the list of 15.

“These recognitions are a big motivation and boost towards the Paralympic Movement in the country. And it has come at the right time to motivate our athletes and coaches to work harder towards their Paralympic dreams. My heartiest congratulations to all the award winners,” Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) President, Deepa Malik said in a release.

The 26-year-old Mariyappan came into the limelight when he won the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in men’s high jump T42 category before adding the bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai last year.

Already an Arjuna and Padma Shree awardee in 2017, the recognition will add fillip to his preparations for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Chaudhary, who won India’s first medal at the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games with a world record, went on to become the world champion bettering his own record in men’s javelin F64 category at Dubai 2019. He is one of India’s strongest prospects for winning a gold at the Tokyo Games.