BHUBANESWAR: It has been a year of top honours for ace para-shuttler Pramod Bhagat. After the Tokyo Paralympics gold, he has now been nominated for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2021.Pramod, who bagged the gold medal in SL3 singles category in the Tokyo Paralympic Games, is the first sportsperson from Odisha to be on the top list along with 11 others and, of course, on cloud nine. He was awarded Arjuna Award in 2019.
“I am extremely happy and honoured today. Being a player representing the country in Olympic Games is a matter of pride and winning a gold for the country is a historic moment in my life,” the champion said.
He thanked the Odisha government for recommending his name for the award. “I am here today because of the support of my family, friends, Attabira villagers and all my coaches. The government of India, Sports Authority of India and State government helped me in every step to become the World No 1,” added Pramod.
He recounted the numerous challenges and tough times he encountered on his journey to be the World No 1. “Life taught me many lessons and one thing I had learnt was to never give up. Keep trying with all dedication and discipline and one day you will achieve your goals,” he added.The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Award was recently renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. It is presented to athletes for their outstanding achievements in the field of sports over a period of four years.
The national sports awards committee has also recommended Neeraj Chopra who bagged the historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 along with other medal winners Ravi Dahiya, PR Sreejesh and Lovlina Borgohain for the highest sporting honour. The committee has also recommended veteran India women cricketer Mithali Raj along with legendary footballer Sunil Chhetri, Sumit Antil (athletics), Avani Lekhara, Manish Narwal (shooting), Krishna Nagar (badminton) for the top honour.