Six wrestlers including Sakshi Malik and Deepak Punia have sent their applications to Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for this year’s Arjuna Award. Punia is one of the brightest wrestlers in the current Indian faction having won Junior world championship and senior worlds silver medal in the same year (2019). Owing to his medal-winning performance in Nur-Sultan, the Haryana born wrestler also secured the 86kg men’s freestyle berth for India.
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Malik, on the other hand, has already won India’s highest sporting award the ‘Khel Ratna’, thanks for her 2016 Rio Olympic’s medal-winning performance. But off late, the 2020 Asian wrestling silver medallist has been struggling with form. “She had no achievement before the Rio Games. Since she won a bronze at the Olympics, she (directly) got the Khel Ratna that time. Now she wants the Arjuna award as well,” a WFI official said, hinting that it will be unlikely that her name will be recommended.
If going by performance, Rahul Aware another applicant for the award also stands a high chance to get the award given his performance in the last three years. Since 2017, the Maharashtra wrestler has won seven medals including 2018 Commonwealth Games gold and 2019 worlds bronze medal.
Also, sending his application to WFI for the Arjuna award is Sandeep Tomar, who was a strong candidate in the 57kg before the exponential rise of Ravi Dahiya, the 2019 world championship medallist. Other wrestlers who have applied are Greco-Roman wrestler Naveen and Asian champ Divya Kakran.
Vinod Tomar, WFI assistant secretary said, “The federation will have a look and decide whose application is to be forwarded to the ministry (Sports Authority of India). We still have time until June 3. But most likely the names will be sent tomorrow (Monday),” reported PTI.
While the application has to be filled by the athletes, it is the national federation that has to recommend names for the sports awards to the ministry. The athletes can still send their applications if their form is endorsed by their state unit or a former national awardee — Arjuna, Khel Ratna, Dhyan Chand or Dronacharya.