Braving odds, Ranveer Saini wins Haryana's highest sports honour

Probably the greatest achievement for an athlete and his loved ones is to see the national flag being raised in competitions as a result of their performance. The joy of winning medals as a symbol of years of perseverance is precious to any athlete. But it is probably a little more special when it as an athlete with special needs. This Republic Day, the Haryana government set a precedent by honouring Ranveer Saini with the "Bhim Award" which happens to be Haryana's highest award for a sportsperson. Further, he was felicitated under the sports category and not under the banner of any reserved category. There are many stories that inspire us every day and Ranveer's journey is definitely one of them. Diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 years, Ranveer has been a fighter, as all children with special needs are and stayed true to his aim. Ranveer Saini, who already has a lot more accolades on national and international stage to his name was felicitated as the 'golf champion' of the state by Haryana's education minister, Ram Bilas Sharma, at a Republic Day function on Friday. In 2015 Ranveer created history by becoming first Indian to win a gold medal at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. His life journey seems to be more intriguing as he combats autism and learns slowly to pass each and every hurdle coming his way. Ranveer's contribution to Indian sports being recognised is one of the proudest moments his family can think of. In 2017, when Ranveer's name was recommended for the award, his father Kartikay Saini said, "For the whole community of athletes with special needs, this is inspirational and motivational, because it makes them believe that there's hope." Source: NDTV Sports After receiving the award Kartikay Saini added, "Today was so special because Ranveer was not felicitated under any special or reserved category, he was felicitated under the sports category. He was honoured by the state government as a sportsperson, alongside every other sportsperson, for his feats in a sport, golf, in which he has won so many laurels. So, it's a great honour." Ranveer's journey took a different shape from a slow progressing child to developing skills of a perfectionist in golf. Golf, being a game of concentration, accuracy, body & mind control, Ranveer happened to grab the opportunity quickly and began getting his grip on golf with a professional angle. The Limca Book records holder for straight three years, a tally of three golds at the Asia Pacific Games and was also the winner of the 'Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year' award in 2016, Ranveer strengthened his weakness to inspire millions to turn their fate around. 26th January 2018 is now one of many inspiring milestones for Ranveer as his conquest will not stop here. He will be looking to repeat history at Special Olympics World Games that is going to be held in Abu Dhabi in March 2019.