Boxer Mary Kom recommended for Padma Vibhushan: Details here
India's ace boxer MC Mary Kom became the first woman athlete to be recommended for the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award. This is the country's second-highest civilian honor. The Sports Ministry decided to put forward six-time world champion Mary Kom's name. Meanwhile, BWF World Championships badminton winner PV Sindhu has been recommended for the Padma Bhushan. Here's more.
Mary Kom has a rich legacy in the field of boxing and is vying to compete next in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Earlier, she was already awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2013 and Padma Shri in 2006. The Manipuri boxer will become the first Indian woman athlete to get the Padma Vibhushan. The recommendation was sent to the Padma awards committee.
The only other sportspersons to get the Padma Vibhushan award are chess legend Viswanathan Anand (2007), cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (2008) and mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary (posthumously in 2008). Mary Kom could join these big guns with the same.
According to TOI, India's star shuttler Sindhu will be hoping to be considered for the Padma Bhushan. The former Padma Shri recipient had earlier been recommended for the Padma Bhushan in the past. However, the 2016 Olympic medalist didn't make the cut. Sindhu, who recently bagged India's first-ever gold medal at the world championships, has once again seen her name getting recommended.
Meanwhile, several women athletes have been recommended for the Padma Shri awards. The list includes wrestler Vinesh Phogat, table tennis player Manika Batra, Twenty20 International cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur, hockey captain Rani Rampal, former shooter Suma Shirur and mountaineers Tashi and Nungshi Malik.
It remains to be seen what the committee decides but it would be a great manner to recognize the laurels both Mary Kom and Sindhu have brought to India. Both are medal contenders in next year's Tokyo Olympics and both these champions have been highly consistent in their respective fields. 2020 Olympics could be Kom's farewell and she deserves the laurel.
