Avani Lekhara to get Khel Ratna Award? The National Sports Award Committee has recommended 11 athletes including women sportspersons such as Paralympian Avani Lekhara, Olympic medalist Lovlina Borgohai and cricketer Mithali Raj for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Khel Ratna is India's highest sporting honour.
Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two medals at the Paralympics in Tokyo this year. Along with this the committee also recommended 35 Indian athletes for the Arjuna Award. The year 2021 has been special for the country as far as sporting accolades are concerned. India won a total of 7 medals at the Olympic games. Neeraj Chopra is the first track and field athlete to win a gold medal for India at the Olympics. Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Dahiya, PR Sreejesh are some of the other names recommended for the Khel Ratna Award. He achieved this feat in the Javelin throw. Previously these awards were known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
Shooter Avani Lekhara among 5 para athletes to get Khel Ratna, cricketer Shikhar Dhawan among 35 selected for Arjuna award
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 27, 2021
Boxer Lovlina Borgohain, footballer Sunil Chhetri, cricketer Mithali Raj, hockey player P Sreejesh also picked for Khel Ratna
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 27, 2021
Rifle shooter Avani Lekhara won the gold medal for India at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in R-2 women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1. She also bagged the bronze medal in the R8 women’s 50m rifle 3P SH1 event.
Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze medal Tokyo Olympics. The young champion from Assam went down fighting reigning world champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the semifinals. She became the first woman boxer from Assam to qualify for the Olympics after finishing in third place at the Asia and Oceania Boxing Olympics qualifiers. She defeated Maftunakhon Melieva of Uzbekistan.
Indian ODI team captain Mithali Raj crossed the cricketing milestone of completing 20,000 career runs Raj scored a fifth consecutive fifty in the match to help her team set a target of 226 runs, losing eight wickets. She also holds the record for most half-centuries in Women's ODIs.
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