KOCHI:Badminton player Rupesh Kumar K T and middle-distance runner Anilda Thomas will be presented with the GV Raja Award by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a function to be held at the Durbar Hall of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
The award, the highest sporting honour in the state, is instituted by the Kerala State Sports Council in memory of G V Raja who played a pioneering role in the growth and promotion of various sports in the state. It carries a purse of `3 lakh.
The 38-year-old shuttler had won silver in the mixed team event in the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi and a bronze at the 2006 Games in Melbourne. The iconic pair of Rupesh and Sanave Thomas also won the BWF Grand Prix title at the 2009 New Zealand Open and 2010 Bitburger Open.
Anilda, 25, who specialises in the 400-metre race, competed in the 2016 Olympic Games held in London as part of India's 4x400 metre women's relay team along with Nirmala Sheoran, M R Poovamma and Tintu Luka.
Gabriel Joseph will receive the Olympian Suresh Babu Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award. Gabriel, based in Thiruvananthapuram, is a former director of coaching at the AlIFF and a former assistant coach of the national team.
Sports Minister A C Moideen will present the award for the best physical education teacher at the college level to Fr Joy P T of Christ College, Irinjalakuda, and the school level to Sijin N S of Mundur HSS, Palakkad, who coaches runner P U Chitra.