Deepa Malik honoured with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

President Ram Nath Kovind presented the National Sports Day Awards on the 114th birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand to sportspersons from the country at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honour in the country, was awarded to Deepa Malik, thereby making her the first Paralympian to receive the prestigious honour.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia skipped the award ceremony in New Delhi to continue training for September’s World Championships in Russia.

India cricket star Ravindra Jadeja, middle distance runner Mohammed Anas Yahiya were among the notable absentees at the award ceremony.

A total of 19 athletes were nominated for the Arjuna Award.

Noted badminton coach Vimal Kumar, who had coached the likes of Pullela Gopichand and Saina Nehwal, received the Dronacharya Award from President Kovind.

Full list of National Sports Day Award winners 2019

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: Deepa Malik (Para-Athletics), Bajrang Punia (Wrestling)

Arjuna Award: Ravindra Jadeja (Cricket), Mohammed Anas (Athletics), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Football), Sonia Lather (Boxing), Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (Hockey), S Bhaskaran (Bodybuilding), Ajay Thakur (Kabaddi), Anjum Moudgil (Shooting), Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth (Badminton), Tajinder Pal Singh Toor (Athletics), Pramod Bhagat (Para sports-badminton), Harmeet Rajul Desai (Table tennis), Pooja Dhanda (Wrestling), Fouaad Mirza (Equestrian), Simran Singh Shergill (Polo), Poonam Yadav (Cricket), Swapna Burman (Athletics), Sundar Singh Gurjar (Para sports-athletics) and Gaurav Singh Gill (Motorsports).

Dronacharya Award: Mohinder Singh Dhillon (athletics), Sandeep Gupta (table tennis) and Vimal Kumar (badminton).

Dronacharya Award (lifetime category): Sanjay Bhardwaj (cricket), Rambir Singh Khokar (kabaddi) and Mezban Patel (hockey).

Dhyan Chand Award: Manoj Kumar (wrestling), C Lalremsanga (archery), Arup Basak (table tennis), Nitten Kirrtane (tennis) and Manuel Fredricks (hockey).