Headlines
Padma Bhushan for wrestling coach Satpal; Padma Shri for Sardar, Sindhu
New Delhi, Jan 25
Iconic wrestler-turned-coach
Satpal was Sunday named for the prestigious Padma Bhushan award, while
national hockey team captain Sardar Singh was among the five
sportspersons chosen for this year's Padma Shri awards.
Women's
badminton star P.V. Sindhu, former women's hockey captain Saba Anjum,
Arunima Sinha -- the first woman amputee mountaineer to climb Mount
Everest, and Indian women's cricket team skipper Mithali Raj were the
other sportspersons selected for this year's Padma Shri awards.
The
Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian awards of the country, are
given for distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri for
distinguished service in any field. These awards are conferred by the
President at a ceremonial function at Rashtrapati Bhawan here.
The
59-year-old Satpal was a trailblazer in Indian wrestling, winning the
bronze medal in the 1974 Asian Games and then improving his performance
by striking gold in the 1982 Asiad held here.
Continuing his
contribution for the country's ancient sport, he established an 'akhada'
in Chhatrasal Stadium, which produced India's only two-time individual
Olympic medal winner Sushil Kumar who also became a world champion in
2010.
Satpal was conferred the Arjuna Award in 1974, Padma Shri
in 1983, and the Dronacharya award in 2009 in a glittering career both
as a player and coach.
Among the Padma Shri award winners, Sardar
Singh stand out for captaining the side to a Asian Games gold after 16
years. The talismanic centre-half also led the team to a silver medal in
the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The 28-year-old has represented India in
more than 200 international matches.
Badminton protege Sindhu’s
most notable performance last year was winning the bronze at the
Copenhagen World Championships. With the medal, she became the first and
only Indian ever to win two World medals, that too back-to-back in the
sport’s most prestigious tournament.
The teenager maintained a
top-10 ranking for most of the year and also reached the finals of India
Grand Prix Gold in Lucknow in January 2014. However, she peaked when
she won the Macau Open GP Gold crown in November. The Hyderabadi also
consistently defeated top players and backed it up with the Commonwealth
Games silver.