Table Tennis
Sharath Kamal recommended for Khel Ratna; 25 athletes in contention for Arjuna Award
Achanta Sharath Kamal has been nominated for the prestigious Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award.
Indian Table Tennis ace Achanta Sharath Kamal was nominated for the prestigious Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award on Friday. The national sports award selection committee for the year is led by retired Supreme Court judge AM Khanwilkar.
The 40-year-old Sharath was one of the standout athletes for India at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games earlier this year. He had pocketed 4 medals, including three gold in the quadrennial event.
As per reports, a total of 42 athletes had applied for the Khel Ratna this year out of which only Achanta Sharath Kamal was recommended by the committee headed by AM Khanwilkar. This is in stark contrast to the previous two years wherein the selection committee had recommended five names in 2020 and a whopping eleven in 2011 for the highest sporting honour in the country.
Besides, the committee has also recommended a total of 12 names including the likes of Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen, Boxing World Champion Nikhat Zareen, teenage chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa among others.
For the second year running, a Mallakhamb athlete - Sagar Ovhalkar, is in running for the Arjuna award. Himani Parab had last year become the first Mallakhamb athlete to be nominated for the same.
Moreover, boxer Amit Panghal and discus thrower Seema Punia - two athletes to have been caught in the doping net early on in their career, too have been recommended for the Arjuna Award.
Interestingly, no cricketer has been recommended for any of the awards.
Khel Ratna Recommendations: Achanta Sharath Kamal (Table Tennis)
Arjuna Award Recommendations: Lakshya Sen (Badminton), Nikhat Zareen (Boxing), R Praggnanandhaa (Chess), Amit Panghal (Boxing), Seema Punia (Athletics), Eldhose Paul (Athletics), Avinash Sable (Athletics), HS Prannoy (Badminton), Bhakti Kulkarni (Chess), Deep Grace Ekka (Hockey), Sushila Devi (Judo), Sakshi Kumari (Kabaddi), Nayanmoni Saika (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), Praveen (Wushu), Manasi Joshi (Para Badminton), Tarun Dhillon (Para Badminton), Swapnil Patil (Para Swimming), Jerlin Anika (Deaf Badminton)
