Didn't expect this, says Mirabai Chanu after receiving Khel Ratna

Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu receives the Khel Ratna Award from the President of India Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi yesterday. Pic/PTI

Ace cricketer Virat Kohli sent the shutterbugs into a clicking frenzy as he received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, sharing the country's highest sporting honour with diminutive world champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here yesterday.

Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won gold medals in the Commonwealth and Asian Games this year, and junior world champion sprinter Hima Das were among the 20 sportspersons, who received the Arjuna Award from President Ram Nath Kovind. Kohli was accompanied by his actor wife Anushka Sharma, his mother Saroj Kohli and his elder brother Vikas. Sharing the top honours with him was Chanu, who had received the Padma Shri earlier this year, was chosen for the Khel Ratna following her gold medal in 48kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships last year.

She also bagged the yellow metal in this year's Commonwealth Games but didn't compete at the Asian Games due to injury. "It was a huge honour for me. I never expected I will receive the award so early in my career. It is one of the happiest moment of my life," Chanu, 24, said. Chanu, who missed the Asian Games due to a back injury, said she has started training again but will return to the international arena only in April next year.

"It's been a week that I have started training again. The doctors have advised me to go slow so I will miss the World Championships in November. I am expecting to return at the Asian Championships in next April," she said. While the Khel Ratna award carries a prize purse of R7.5 lakh, the Arjuna awardees are given R5 lakh each along with a citation. Besides the Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards, the President also gave away Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand awards to coaches, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure awards, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar.

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