List of National Sports Award recipients in athletics

The National Sports Awards is the collective name given to the six sports awards of Republic of India. These are awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. They are presented by the President of India in the same ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually on 29 August each year, along with the national adventure award. As of 2020, a total of 133 individuals have been awarded the various National Sports Awards in athletics. The four awards presented in athletics are the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dhyan Chand Award, and Dronacharya Award.[1]

National Sports Awards in Athletics
Various civilian awards for contributions to Sports (Individual/Team)
Long jumper Anju Bobby George receives the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2004
Awarded forVarious sports honour of India
Sponsored byGovernment of India
LocationRashtrapati Bhavan
CountryRepublic of India
Presented byPresident of India
First awarded1961
Last awarded2022
Highlights
Total awarded141
Awards

First presented in the year 1961, the Arjuna Award in athletics has been given to a total of 94 individuals for their "good performance at the international level" over the period of the previous four years, with four individuals being awarded for their lifetime contribution.[2] First presented in the year 1985, the Dronacharya Award has been presented to a total of 24 coaches in athletics for their "outstanding work on a consistent basis and enabling sportspersons to excel in international events" over the period of last four years, with seven coaches being awarded in the lifetime contribution category.[3] First presented in the year 1998–1999, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest sporting honour of India, has been given to a total of three sportspersons in athletics for their "most outstanding performance at the international level" over the period of last four years.[4] The Dhyan Chand Award, the lifetime achievement sporting honour of India first presented in the year 2004 has been given to a total of 12 retired sportspersons in athletics for their "good performance at the international level and their continued contributions to the promotion of sports even after their career as a sportsperson is over".[5] One awardee, R. Gandhi, was posthumously honoured with the Dronacharya Award in the year 2017.[1]

Recipients

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As of 2020, three sportspersons in athletics have been awarded the highest sporting award, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. The first recipient was Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, a former middle distance runner who won a gold medal in 800 metres at the 1995 Asian Athletics Championships, a bronze medal in 1500 metres at the 1998 Asian Athletics Championships, and a gold medal in both the 800 metres and 1500 metres at the 1998 Asian Games held at Bangkok. She was presented with the Arjuna Award in the year 1995 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in the year 1998–1999.[1] Sikdar was subsequently conferred with India's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in the year 2003.[6] She later became a politician, serving as the member of parliament representing Communist Party of India (Marxist) from the Krishnagar constituency in the 14th Lok Sabha.[7]

The second recipient, K. M. Beenamol, came to the national limelight after qualifying for the semi finals of the women's 400 metres race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[8] She won gold medals in both the women's 800 metres and the 4 × 400 metres women's relay in the 2002 Asian Games held at Busan, South Korea.[9] She was presented with the Arjuna Award in the year 2000, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in the year 2002,[1] and the Padma Shri in the year 2004.[6]

The third recipient, Anju Bobby George, a long jumper, is India's first and only World Champion at the IAAF World Athletics Final. In 2003, she became the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in World Athletics Championships, winning bronze.[10] She secured fifth place in the women's long jump in the 2004 Summer Olympics held at Athens.[11] She was presented with the Arjuna Award in the year 2002, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in the year 2003,[1] and the Padma Shri in the year 2004.[6]

Key
   + Indicates a Lifetime contribution honour
   # Indicates a posthumous honour
List of National Sports award recipients, showing the year, award and gender[1]
Year Recipient Award Gender
1998–1999 Jyotirmoyee Sikdar Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Female
2002 K. M. Beenamol Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Female
2003 Anju Bobby George Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Female
2021 Neeraj Chopra Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award Male
1961 Gurbachan Singh Randhawa Arjuna Award Male
1962 Tarlok Singh Arjuna Award Male
1963 Stephie D'Souza Arjuna Award Female
1964 Makhan Singh Arjuna Award Male
1965 Kenneth Powell Arjuna Award Male
1966 Bhogeswar Baruah Arjuna Award Male
1966 Ajmer Singh Arjuna Award Male
1967 Bhim Singh Arjuna Award Male
1967 Praveen Kumar Sobti Arjuna Award Male
1968 Joginder Singh Arjuna Award Male
1968 Manjit Walia Arjuna Award Female
1969 Harnek Singh Arjuna Award Male
1970 Mohinder Singh Gill Arjuna Award Male
1971 Edward Sequeira Arjuna Award Male
1972 Vijay Singh Chauhan Arjuna Award Male
1973 Sriram Singh Arjuna Award Male
1974 Shivnath Singh Rajput Arjuna Award Male
1974 T. C. Yohannan Arjuna Award Male
1975 V. Anusuya Bai Arjuna Award Female
1975 Hari Chand Arjuna Award Male
1976 Bahadur Singh Chouhan Arjuna Award Male
1976 Geeta Zutshi Arjuna Award Female
1978–1979 Suresh Babu Arjuna Award Male
1978–1979 Angel Mary Joseph Arjuna Award Female
1979–1980 Ramaswamy Gnanasekaran Arjuna Award Male
1980–1981 Gopal Saini Arjuna Award Male
1981 Sabir Ali Arjuna Award Male
1982 Charles Borromeo Arjuna Award Male
1982 Chand Ram Arjuna Award Male
1982 M. D. Valsamma Arjuna Award Female
1983 P. T. Usha Arjuna Award Female
1983 Suresh Yadav Arjuna Award Male
1984 Shiny Abraham Arjuna Award Female
1984 Raj Kumar Arjuna Award Male
1985 Asha Agarwal Arjuna Award Female
1985 Raghubir Singh Bal Arjuna Award Male
1985 Adille Sumariwala Arjuna Award Male
1986 Suman Rawat Arjuna Award Female
1987 Vandana Rao Arjuna Award Female
1987 Vandana Shanbagh Arjuna Award Female
1987 Bagicha Singh Arjuna Award Male
1987 Balwinder Singh Arjuna Award Male
1988 Ashwini Nachappa Arjuna Award Female
1989 Mercy Kuttan Arjuna Award Female
1990 Deena Ram Arjuna Award Male
1992 Bahadur Prasad Arjuna Award Male
1993 K. Saramma Arjuna Award Female
1994 Rosa Kutty Arjuna Award Female
1995 Jyotirmoyee Sikdar Arjuna Award Female
1995 Shakti Singh Arjuna Award Male
1996 Ajit Bhaduria Arjuna Award Male
1996 Padmini Thomas Arjuna Award Female
1997 Reeth Abraham Arjuna Award Female
1998 S. D. Eshan Arjuna Award Male
1998 Rachita Mistry Arjuna Award Male
1998 Sri Chand Ram Arjuna Award Male
1998 Neelam Jaswant Singh Arjuna Award Female
1998 Paramjit Singh Arjuna Award Male
1999 Parduman Singh Brar + Arjuna Award Male
1999 Gulab Chand Arjuna Award Male
1999 Gurmeet Kaur Arjuna Award Female
1999 Sunita Rani Arjuna Award Female
2000 K. M. Beenamol Arjuna Award Female
2000 Vijayamala Bhanot + Arjuna Award Female
2000 Rachna Govil + Arjuna Award Female
2000 Milkha Singh + Arjuna Award Male
2002 Anju Bobby George Arjuna Award Female
2002 Saraswati Saha Arjuna Award Female
2003 Soma Biswas Arjuna Award Female
2003 Madhuri Saxena Arjuna Award Female
2004 Anil Kumar Prakash Arjuna Award Male
2004 J. J. Shobha Arjuna Award Female
2005 Manjeet Kaur Arjuna Award Female
2006 K. M. Binu Arjuna Award Male
2007 Chitra Soman Arjuna Award Female
2009 Sinimole Paulose Arjuna Award Female
2010 Joseph Abraham Arjuna Award Male
2010 Krishna Poonia Arjuna Award Female
2011 Vikas Gowda Arjuna Award Male
2011 Preeja Sreedharan Arjuna Award Female
2012 Kavita Raut Arjuna Award Female
2012 Sudha Singh Arjuna Award Female
2014 Tintu Luka Arjuna Award Female
2015 M. R. Poovamma Arjuna Award Female
2016 Lalita Babar Arjuna Award Female
2017 Khushbir Kaur Arjuna Award Female
2017 Arokia Rajiv Arjuna Award Male
2018 Neeraj Chopra Arjuna Award Male
2018 Hima Das Arjuna Award Female
2018 Jinson Johnson Arjuna Award Male
2019 Muhammed Anas Arjuna Award Male
2019 Swapna Barman Arjuna Award Female
2019 Tejinder Pal Singh Toor Arjuna Award Male
2020 Dutee Chand Arjuna Award Female
2021 Arpinder Singh Arjuna Award Male
2022 Seema Punia Arjuna Award Female
2022 Eldhose Paul Arjuna Award Male
2022 Avinash Sable Arjuna Award Male
2023 Parul Chaudhary Arjuna Award Female
2023 M Sreeshankar Arjuna Award Male
2004 Labh Singh Dhyan Chand Award Male
2006 Uday K. Prabhu Dhyan Chand Award Male
2008 Hakam Singh Dhyan Chand Award Male
2009 Ishar Singh Deol Dhyan Chand Award Male
2010 Satish Pillai Dhyan Chand Award Male
2012 Jagraj Singh Mann Dhyan Chand Award Male
2013 Mary D'Souza Sequeira Dhyan Chand Award Female
2016 Sathi Geetha Dhyan Chand Award Female
2017 Bhupender Singh Dhyan Chand Award Male
2018 Bobby Aloysius Dhyan Chand Award Female
2020 Kuldip Singh Bhullar Dhyan Chand Award Male
2020 Jincy Philips Dhyan Chand Award Female
2022 Ashwini Akkunji Dhyan Chand Award Female
2011 Kuntal Kumar Roy + Dronacharya Award Male
2012 Jasvinder Singh Bhatia + Dronacharya Award Male
2013 K. P. Thomas + Dronacharya Award Male
2014 N. Lingappa + Dronacharya Award Male
2015 Harbans Singh + Dronacharya Award Male
2018 V. R. Beedu + Dronacharya Award Male
2020 Purushotham Rai + Dronacharya Award Male
2021 T.P. Ouseph + Dronacharya Award Male
1985 O. M. Nambiar Dronacharya Award Male
1994 Ilyas Babar Dronacharya Award Male
1995 Karan Singh Dronacharya Award Male
1997 Joginder Singh Saini Dronacharya Award Male
1998 Bahadur Singh Chouhan Dronacharya Award Male
1998 Hargobind Singh Sandhu Dronacharya Award Male
1999 Kenneth Owen Bosen Dronacharya Award Male
2002 Renu Kohli Dronacharya Award Female
2002 Jaswant Singh Dronacharya Award Male
2003 Robert Bobby George Dronacharya Award Male
2006 R. D. Singh Dronacharya Award Male
2010 A. K. Kutty Dronacharya Award Male
2012 Virender Poonia Dronacharya Award Male
2016 Nagapuri Ramesh Dronacharya Award Male
2017 R. Gandhi# Dronacharya Award Male
2018 Sukhdev Singh Pannu Dronacharya Award Male
2019 Mohinder Singh Dhillon Dronacharya Award Male
2021 Radhakrishnan Nair P Dronacharya Award Male

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "List of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardees (1991–2018)" (PDF). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India). Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Revised Scheme of Arjuna Award" (PDF). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India). 7 September 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Scheme for Dronacharya Award For Outstanding Coaches In Sports And Games (Amended as on 3 February 2016)" (PDF). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 3 February 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Scheme for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award" (PDF). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 23 February 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Scheme for the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games (Amended as on 3 February 2016)" (PDF). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 3 February 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Padma Awards Directory (1954–2014)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). 21 May 2014. pp. 134–137. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  7. ^ "West Bengal: Ex-CPM MP Jyotirmoyee Sikdar joins BJP". The Week. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  8. ^ "She's been at it". The Hindu. 16 May 2002. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  9. ^ Dutta, Subhayan. "PR Sreejesh dream supercharged after encounter with Kerala athlete KM Beenamol". Olympic Channel. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Event Report Women Long Jump Final". World Athletics. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  11. ^ "IAAF ratifies Anju's top finish in 2005 World Athletics Final". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 1 April 2014. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
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