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The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has nominated Asian champions Ravi Dahiya (57 kg FS) and Anshu Malik (57 kg WW) for this year’s Arjuna Award. WFI has nominated four wrestlers for the national sports award which will be presented on August 29. The other two nominees are Sarita Mor (59 kg) and Deepak Punia (86 kg).
Vinod Tomar, WFI assistant secretary, said the shortlisting was done on the basis of their recent performances.
“We have shortlisted two men and as many women wrestlers for Arjuna Award. Ravi {Dahiya} and Deepak {Punia} are the nominees for men, while Anshu {Malik} and Sarita {Mor} are shortlisted candidates for women,” he told Sportskeeda.
Out of the four nominees, three wrestlers are part of India’s Tokyo Olympic-bound contingent.
Ravi and Deepak have joined fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia (65 kg) to train in Vladikavkaz, Russia. Anshu, on the other hand, has been stationed in Warsaw, Poland for the past month. She is training with veteran wrestler Anita Sheoran and head coach Kuldeep Malik.
Monday was the last date to file nominations for the National Sports Awards.
Interestingly, this is the second consecutive time WFI has nominated Deepak for the award. He was also part of last year’s shortlist too but was not recommended by the sports committee responsible for finalizing the list.
All you need to know about Arjuna Award 2021 Nominees:
Ravi Dahiya: The lightweight wrestler emerged on to the international stage in 2019. He won a bronze medal at the 2019 world championship to win an Olympic quota for India. But it was in 2020 that Ravi became a reckoning force. He won the Rome Ranking Series, followed by the Asian Championship. He defended his Asian title earlier this year in Kazakhstan.
ALSO READ: Why Tokyo Olympics seeding is good news for India's Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia
Deepak Punia: He is the first Indian wrestler to win the Junior world championship. The same year, Deepak won India the Tokyo Olympic quota by winning a silver medal at the 2019 Worlds. He withdrew from the finals of the event due to injury. He won a bronze medal at the 2020 Asian championship. Since then a bout with injury has kept him at bay from the podium.
ALSO READ: WFI plans training camp for Indian women's team in July ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Sarita Mor: Although Sarita continues to struggle in 57 kg, she has made 59 kg her own. Competing in the non-Olympic weight category, the Indian wrestler is a two-time Asian champion.
Anshu Malik: The 19-year-old has been a revelation in Indian wrestling since 2020. Fast-tracked into the senior side after medal-winning performances at cadet and junior levels, Anshu has become India’s first choice in 57kg.
She has sidelined heavyweights like world medalist Pooja Dhanda and Asian champion Sarita. She has competed in six senior competitions and has won five medals including one gold at the 2021 Asian Championship.
Arjuna Award 2021 – Brief Introduction
The Arjuna Award is given on National Sports Day, which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyanchand. It is a sports honor given to athletes for “Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games."
The prize money for Arjuna Award was increased significantly in 2020. For the Arjuna Award, the recipient receives a bronze statuette, certificate, ceremonial dress and prize money of INR 15 lakh.
ALSO READ: 29 days to Tokyo Olympics - The confusion that led to KD Jadhav missing out on an Olympic gold
Last year, 74 recipients were bestowed with the Arjuna awards. Out of these, three were from wrestling –Divya Kakran (68 kg, Asian champion), Rahul Aware (61 kg, world medalist) and Aakash (55 kg Greco-Roman).
Full list of Nominees for National Sports Awards (Wrestling)
Arjuna Award: Ravi Dahiya, Deepak Punia, Sarita Mor, Anshu Malik
Dronacharya Award: Sujeet Maan, Vikram, Kuldeep Malik
Lifetime Dronacharya: Jagroop Rathi, R K Hooda, R S Kundu.
Dhyanchand Award: Sajjan Singh, Jai Prakash, Dushyant Sharma
