NEW DELHI: World record holder, world champion and 2020 Paralympic Games gold medalist Javelin thrower in the F64 category Sumit Antil, and recent Arjuna Awardee and double Asian Para Games gold medallist archer Sheetal Devi, won the coveted Best Male and Best Female athlete crowns at the 1st Differently Abled Sports Awards, here.
Sumit, who threw the Javelin 73.29 meters in the recent Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China for his world record mark and Sheetal Devi, who won two golds and a silver at the same Games in Compound Archery, were among 250 nominations received from as many as 20 federations in 23 award categories.
India’s first paralympic gold medallist and freestyle swimmer Murlikant Petkar, who won gold at the 1972 Paralympics, was also honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award. The Indian Blind Chess team, which won gold and multiple medals at the Hangzhou Para Games, won the Major Dhyanchand Team of the Year award presented by the hockey wizard’s son and former Hockey World Cup winner Ashok Kumar Dhyanchand.
Addressing the gathering Dhyanchand said, “I am honoured to be a part of today's memorable event to honour our special athletes. These award functions are there to encourage our athletes who give their best for our country in their respective fields. I congratulate all the special athletes and the federations who have worked so hard. It was my father's dream that the athletes who win medals for the pride of our nation should one day become the pride of the country itself. I thank Radiant Sports for inviting me and my family and honouring the Dhyanchand name through this beautiful event.”
Also sharing her thoughts was the first and only armless para-athlete to win Sheetal Devi, who said, “I feel extremely happy to win the Best Female Athlete award. One and a half years ago, I picked up a bow for the first time. When I first joined the academy, I never thought I could play the sport, but my coaches never left faith on me and supported me throughout. I have qualified for the Olympics and I will work even harder to win a medal for my country.”
Renowned para-badminton coach Gaurav Khanna, who has coached such names as Pramod Bhagat, Abu Hubaida and Palak Kohli won the award for the Best Coach. His Gaurav Khanna Excellia Badminton Academy in Lucknow also won the Best Academy award. Shri. Khanna said on the sidelines, “I want to thanks Radiant Sports for this unique initiative. The athletes have done their job on the field and it's our time to recognize their success. We have to appreciate Radiant Sports for organizing this event and doing it so well. This should mark as a benchmark for many future events to honor our special athletes.”
The 1st Differently Abled Sports Awards was the first time in the country that an Awards were exclusively constituted for Differently Abled athletes, aimed at celebrating the outstanding achievements of the differently abled sports community annually. It was recently hailed by the Head of World Para Athletics, Paul Fitzgerald, who lauded Radiant Sports for their commitment to promote inclusivity on a global scale. Paul has also vetoed all the final nominations.
Also sharing her thoughts was Raadhika Khetarpal, Co-founder and President, Radiant Sports Management saying, “It is a dream come true. After meeting Deepa Malik a few years back and then getting introduced to the differently abled community through her, I was inspired to do something for these special athletes. I feel blessed today that all the hard work of the past 12 months have borne fruit and that so many legends have come to support us in this endeavor. I thank the team for everything and we believe that this is just the beginning for differently abled athletes and their best is yet to come. On behalf of Radiant, I congratulate all the award winners, but the real winners today are all the passionate differently abled athletes, who despite severe challenges, leave no stone unturned to bring glory to the country. They have been our constant inspiration.”