NEW DELHI: Wrestler
Vinesh Phogat said that it has been a long wait for her to get the
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
but now that she has, it is an added responsibility. The 25-year-old is one of five athletes recommended for the nation's highest sporting honour by the National Awards Committee.
"Proudest moment! Intezaar lamba raha but khusi bhi doguni huyi. Bhagwan ne chaah toh is award ka maan rakhungi. Responsibility badh gayi hai abhi aur zyada (The wait has been long but the happiness also is two-fold. If God is willing I will honour this award. It's an added responsibility now)," Vinesh told IANS.
Vinesh is the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in both the Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast 2018) and the Asian Games (Jakarta 2018). In February 2019, she became the first Indian athlete to be nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards. Later in the year, she sealed qualification to the Tokyo Olympics with a bronze-medal winning performance at the 2019 wrestling World Championships in Kazakhstan.
India's star batsman
Rohit Sharma, 2016 Rio Paralympics gold medallist
Mariyappan Thangavelu, table tennis sensation Manika Batra and Indian women's hockey captain
Rani Rampal are the four other athletes to have been recommended for the Khel Ratna this year.
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India vs England Test match here.
Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
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