Saina Nehwal To Receive Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

Saina Nehwal To Receive Rajiv Gandhi Khel RatnaAce Indian shuttler and world no 2 Saina Nehwal will receive the India's highest sports award, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.

The award's panel chaired by the country's renowned athlete P. T. Usha met today to finalize the winners of 2020's national sports awards.

A sports ministry representative stated that the Arjuna Awards will be announced in next couple of days.

Saina has been in superb form and recently bagged three back-to-back tournaments, which comprised two Super Series titles.

The 20-year-old from Hyderabad won the Indian Open Grand Prix, Singapore Open and Indonesian Open.

Earlier this month, Nehwal gained one spot to World No 2, and it came as a major improvment for the star shuttler prior to the World Championships in Paris from Aug 23.

Saina is now behind top-ranked Chinese Yihan Wang.

Saina said, "I am very happy and it is a surprise for me. It has come just before the World Championships. In fact, the last couple of months were great for me. I have done consistently well this year. Everything has happened quickly in my career. But it has been tough for me as well. Things will be different now as expectations will be high from me,"

Saina has been made the captain of the Indian team for the World Championships.

Saina, who won the Arjuna Award last year, was the first Indian girl to reach the singles quarterfinals at the Olympics in Beijing and the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships.

Last year, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna was awarded to Olympic bronze medallists boxer Vijender Singh, wrestler Sushil Kumar and four-time world champion woman pugilist M. C. Mary Kom. (With Inputs from Agencies)