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Sharath Kamal, Eldhose Paul, HS Prannoy | ANI
New Delhi: Table Tennis champion and multi-time Commonwealth Games medalist Achanta Sharath Kamal has been nominated for the prestigious Khel Ratna award this year.
It is India's highest sporting honour given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It was rechristened from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award last year.
Nominated players receive their awards from the President of India at the Presidential Palace on occasion of National Sports Day typically, which falls on August 29.
Kamal will become the second TT player after Manika Batra to receive the honour, as per Olympics.com. The 40-year-old has had a great 2022, in which he won three gold medals and a silver at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier this year in August.
He is the only player nominated for the award this year by India's national sports awards selection committee, which recommended 11 players last year and five in 2020.
Tokyo 2020 javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra, badminton icon PV Sindhu and other top athletes like Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya cannot be recommended for the honour as they have already won it in past.
Apart from this, 25 players earned recommendations for Arjuna Awards. Some of the players include badminton star Lakshya Sen, boxing champion Nikhat Zareen, boxer Amit Panghal and triple jumper Eldhose Paul, who are all gold medalists from CWG 2022, have been recommended for the award.
Indian cricket skipper Rohit Sharma's coach Dinesh Lad has earned nomination for Dronacharya Award in the 'Lifetime' category while the nominees in 'Regular' category include, Wrestler Bajrang Punia's coach Sujit Mann, boxing coach Mohammad Ali Qamar, archery coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja and rifle coach Suma Shirur (para shooting).
List of Indian athletes recommended for Arjuna Award for 2022
Seema Punia (athletics), Eldhose Paul (athletics), Avinash Sable (athletics), Lakshya Sen (badminton), HS Prannoy (badminton), Amit Panghal (boxing), Nikhat Zareen (boxing), Bhakti Kulkarni (chess), R Praggnanandha (chess), Deep Grace Ekka (hockey), Shushila Devi (judo), Sakshi Kumari (kabaddi), Nayan Moni Saikia (lawn bowls), Sagar Ovhalkar (mallakhamb), Elavenil Valarivan (shooting), Om Prakash Mitharval (shooting), Sreeja Akula (table tennis), Vikas Thakur (weightlifting), Anshu Malik (wrestling), Sarita Mor (wrestling), Parveen (wushu), Manashi Joshi (para badminton), Tarun Dhillon (para badminton), Swapnil Patil (para swimming), Jerlin Anika J (deaf badminton). (ANI)
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