Five unprecedented athletes – cricketer Rohit Sharma, wrestler Vinesh Phogat, para-athlete Mariyappan Thangavelu, women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal and rower Manika Batra – received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award on Saturday, the country’s greatest honor for athletes.
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The award winners were connected to President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan from nine different locations designated by the Sports Authority of India. Rohit Sharma, who is in the United Arab Emirates for IPL 2020, was unable to attend the virtual ceremony as the process only allowed those currently in the country to participate.
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Fighter Vinesh Phogat, who was supposed to be present at Sonepat, had to be quarantined after she tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the awards ceremony.
Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal and para-athlete Mariyappan Thangavelu attended the ceremony from Bengaluru and Commonwealth Games champion rower Manika Batra joined from Pune.
Here are the profiles of the Khel Ratna awardees:
Rohit sharma
India’s current limited overs vice captain is the fourth male cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli to land the prestigious Khel Ratna. Rohit is the only cricketer to have scored three doubles centuries in ODI cricket. It also has four T20I centuries to its name. He was the best runner in the 2019 ICC World Cup and scored an unprecedented 5 centuries during the tournament.
Rani Rampal
The captain of the Indian women’s national hockey team is one of the most decorated hockey players in the country. She has a silver and a bronze medal in the Asian Games and a bronze medal in the Junior World Cup in her cabinet. Her stellar performance at the 2010 Women’s Hockey World Cup helped her win the ‘Best Young Player of the Tournament’.
Mariyappan thangavelu
The Tamil Nadu high jumper made history when he won the gold medal for India in the men’s T-42 high jump category at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. He has already been honored with the Padma Shri and Arjuna and the Khel award. Ratna will be another addition to your bulky cabinet.
Vinesh Phogat
The champion wrestler made history at the 2018 Asian Games when she won the gold medal in the 50kg category of wrestling. The achievement was the first for an Indian fighter and marked a great comeback for the young woman, who had to be removed on a stretcher during the quarterfinals of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
His tremendous comeback after a serious injury earned him a nomination at the prestigious Laureus Sports Awards, the only Indian to be nominated. Vinesh has two Commonwealth Games gold medals on her kitty and an Asian Games gold and bronze medal to her name, in addition to many other medals.
Manika batra
The ace table tennis player has been the most successful rowing player in India. She also created history in 2018 when she won a total of four medals at the Commonwealth Games, which included a women’s team gold and a women’s individual gold. She went on to win a historic bronze medal at the Asian Games the same year in the mixed doubles category.
Batra is the highest ranked Indian table tennis player in the world.
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