Khel Ratna Award: Jhajharia, Sardar Singh nominated for top sporting honour
Devendra Jhajharia today became the first Paralympian to be recommended for India's highest sporting honour the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna — along with celebrated former hockey captain Sardar Singh. Javelin thrower Jhajharia, the first Indian to win two Paralympic gold medals, was the first choice of the awards selection committee headed by Justice (Retd) C K Thakkar. The committee has picked 31-year-old midfielder Sardar as its second nominee for the top honour and has suggested that both Jhajharia and Sardar be considered for the award jointly. The 36-year-old Jhajharia's two gold medals came in the 2004 Athens Games and last year's Rio Paralympics and he set new world records on both the occasions. He also won a gold medal at the 2013 World Championships. Sardar, on the other hand, has been a constant in India's fast-improving standing in international hockey. The 31-year-old, regarded as one of the ace midfielders in the world, became the young...